Brotherly Love
by SistineMay
Summary: When Jack has to become guardian to his much younger halfbrother, Daniel, how will he handle the changes he must make to his life?
1. The Arrival

This was started as a response to a plot bunny and has continued from there g>. I hope you all enjoy it, and I will try to reply to all feedback as I gradually put all the chapters I've done so far up over the next week or so.

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**Part 1 - The Arrival **

**Sunday 23rd November, 2003**

Little Daniel Jackson swung his small legs to and fro as he sat in the booster seat. His right thumb was in his mouth while his left arm hugged a blue teddy bear to his body. He had been travelling for such a long time and he was very tired. The lady in the front seat had told him that they were going to see his big brother in Colorado Springs but Daniel hadn't realised that it was going to take so long. He had only met his big brother once and he had been so little that he didn't even remember it. Daniel didn't know why he couldn't stay with his Mom and Dad; if they were going to be away for a long time, why hadn't they just taken him with them? He would be very good and wouldn't go running off like he did sometimes. He had told that to the lady but she had told him that little kids weren't allowed to go where his parents were going. It was so unfair.

"We're here, Daniel," the lady told him as the car finally stopped.

Daniel looked out the window at his brother's house. It looked very small but it had lots of windows and a backyard for playing in. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here until his parents could come and get him.

The lady came around and opened the car door for him. Then she undid all the straps and helped him onto the grass. Daniel kept his thumb in his mouth and a firm grip on his teddy bear. He didn't like meeting new people, and being so far away from home made him nervous.

"Come on then, Daniel, let's not keep your brother waiting." After taking the booster seat out of the car, the lady picked up Daniel's large suitcase in one hand and with the other, guided her young charge to the front door. Once there, she gave a loud knock on the wooden door.

Jack O'Neill sighed and put down his beer. He had only just received news about his mother's death a few days ago, along with the knowledge that he was being asked to care for his half-brother. What did he know about raising children? He was a confirmed bachelor and he wanted to stay one, not permanently baby-sit a small brat. The sooner they found someone to adopt the kid, the better, in his opinion. But for now, he supposed he'd better put on a happy face and greet his visitors.

He opened the door and immediately saw a pudgy woman in her mid-fifties standing there carrying a large plaid suitcase. Then his gaze drifted downwards to the sandy-haired kid by her side. Long floppy hair prevented Jack from seeing much of the kid's face but he could see the glasses, not to mention the thumb that was vigorously being sucked on.

"Good afternoon. Captain Jonathon O'Neill?" the lady asked.

"That's me," Jack confirmed. "You must be Mrs. Clarke, the social worker." He shook her hand.

"Yes. And this is Daniel Jackson." Mrs. Clarke nudged the small boy. "Say hello to your brother, Daniel," she prompted.

"Hew-wo," Daniel said around his thumb.

"Hello, Daniel," Jack said politely. "Please, won't you both come in?" He ushered them both into the living room.

Mrs. Clarke guided Daniel to sit on the couch and told him to stay there then turned to Jack. "Is there somewhere we can speak privately, Captain O'Neill?"

"In the kitchen." Jack looked at the kid. "Will he be okay by himself?"

"Oh yes," Mrs. Clarke responded.

With a final glance at Daniel, who hadn't looked at him since arriving, Jack led the social worker into the kitchen. Once there, the woman said, "Daniel doesn't know that his parents are dead. He thinks they've gone on a long trip and can't take them with him. We would appreciate it if you would stick to that story, Captain, as he is not old enough yet to understand the truth."

Jack sighed again; not two minutes had passed and already he was being asked to lie to the kid. "Gotcha. Anything else?"

"He has allergies to certain foods, as well as pollen." She handed him a list. "These are the things he is allergic to, please make sure he doesn't eat or come in contact with them. If he does, here are instructions on what to do." She handed him another sheet of paper.

_Great_. "Has Grandpa Nick, uh, Nicholas Ballard, been contacted yet?" He hadn't seen the old man in years as Nick tended to put his work over his family, and often went on digs in difficult-to-reach places.

"We're still trying to locate him," Mrs. Clarke replied. "All of Daniel's toys and clothes are in the suitcase. His parents travelled a great deal so he didn't have much to bring," she informed him.

"What about Mrs. O'Neill's, I mean Mrs. Jackson's, belongings? And those of her husband?" Jack inquired. "Surely Daniel will want to have those?"

"They were put into storage until Daniel is of age to receive them. It was believed that Daniel should not see them otherwise he would find out the truth about his parents."

_By the time Daniel turns eighteen, those belongings will be lost_, Jack thought cynically. "I want them shipped here immediately. I can store them until Daniel's old enough to see them." Besides, half the stuff belonged to him as Claire Jackson, formerly O'Neill, had been his mother too. He could put the things in the garage, as his house wasn't much bigger than an apartment.

"As you wish."

While the adults were talking in the kitchen, Daniel surveyed his surroundings. The couch and chairs were white and comfy, there was a brick fireplace with a mantelpiece above it, and big windows showing the backyard. It was all very neat, the complete opposite to his parents' house. They didn't worry about keeping things neat because they were too busy digging and finding old stuff. He was going to be just like them one day and they would be so proud.

He swung his legs, making a satisfying _thump_ on the soft front of the couch. He hoped that Jack was going to be a nice brother. Some of the children he'd met on his travels had said they hated having a brother or sister but Daniel reckoned it would be nice. Especially one as old as Jack, who would be able to look after him. That was, if Jack liked him. With a child's intuition, Daniel knew that Jack hadn't been happy to see him. But they didn't know each other yet. Maybe, with time, Jack would like him better.

Footsteps sounded and Daniel quickly stilled his legs. He watched as the lady came back into the living room and sat down beside him.

"Now, Daniel, I want you to behave for your brother." She listed a few more instructions which Daniel tried to listen to but promptly forgot because there were too many to remember. Then she patted the top of his head and left.

Jack showed Mrs. Clarke out then went back to the living room and looked down at the little kid, who was staring up at him, trust shining in his eyes. How was he going to do this? What was he going to do with the kid?


	2. Moving In

**Part 2 - Moving In**

Taking his thumb out of his mouth, Daniel climbed down from the couch and went over to Jack; since his brother wasn't talking, he decided that he should go first. Sticking out his hand like he'd seen the adults do, he said, "Pleased to meet you, Jack."

Jack looked down at the little person in front of him. The formality, especially when one considered that the kid was still holding his teddy bear, looked ridiculous. But Jack responded in kind, crouching down to shake Daniel's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Daniel."

"I'm four," Daniel announced.

Jack had the feeling he was supposed to be impressed by that so he said, "Wow, that's old."

Daniel shook his head. "No, it's not." He could count up to one hundred, so he knew that four was a pretty small number.

"Right, it's not." _Don't tell me this kid is smart_, Jack thought. That was all he needed - a brother that was smarter than him. "Do you want to see your bedroom?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed.

Jack took Daniel to the spare bedroom, which had now been converted into a kid's bedroom. It was still very plain, mainly beige and white, but at least Jack had been able to get a single bed quickly as the double was way too large for a four-year-old. Besides, he wasn't planning on keeping the kid so there was no point in doing up the room, was there? Jack put the suitcase on the double bed, ready to be unpacked later, then turned to Daniel. The kid's thumb was back in his mouth. "What? Don't you like it?"

"There's no cuw-wers," Daniel commented, thumb in his mouth. He was used to living in tents on digs and having lots of bright fabric around him.

_Cuw-wers?_ Jack realised he was going to have to learn kid-speak pretty quickly. He crouched down in front of Daniel and gently pulled the thumb out of his mouth. "Rule number one: don't speak with your thumb or any other finger in your mouth. Now - there are no what?"

"Colours," Daniel replied, the word more distinct this time.

"Oh, right. Colours," Jack repeated. "Well, I haven't had a lot of time to get things organised, you know."

"Can we make it coloured?" Daniel asked, not sure how the suggestion would go over. He had a nice rug in his suitcase that would be perfect.

"Paint it?" Jack sighed. "Sure we can. But not today." He wondered whether Daniel would forget all about it by tomorrow - that way, he wouldn't have to spend any more money than he had to, nor would he have to change it back when the kid left.

"Okay." Daniel accepted that. Now something else was on his mind. "Jack?" He tugged on his brother's arm.

_Now what?_ "Yeah?"

"I need to go."

Jack was puzzled for a second. "Where do you need to go?" Then it hit him. "Oh. Right. Uh, come with me." Jack led Daniel next door to the bathroom. The kid went over to the toilet but quickly found he wasn't tall enough to use it. Jack resigned himself to getting some steps or something tomorrow as he came forward and lifted Daniel up to stand on the seat, taking the teddy bear from him at the same time.

Giggling at being up so high, Daniel aimed and for the most part, didn't miss the bowl. Then he tucked himself in and pointed to the basin nearby. Jack lifted him up there too and Daniel washed his hands thoroughly the way he had been taught. "Thank you," he said, wanting to be put down now. When Jack put him on the floor, he went over and dried his hands on a nearby towel. "Can I unpack?"

"Sure, why not?" Jack was glad that the kid was making suggestions. The only ideas for activities that had popped into his mind was television, colouring, and running around the backyard.

Daniel grabbed his teddy bear again and headed into his bedroom. The double bed was higher than he was used to though, and he got stuck while trying to climb onto it. "Jack!"

Jack had just cleaned up the mess that the kid had made when Daniel yelled his name. Entering the room to see Daniel frantically kicking his legs, half on and half off the bed, almost made Jack smile. He went over and helped Daniel the rest of the way, then unzipped the suitcase for the kid.

"Thank you." Daniel happily dug into his suitcase, pulling out all his clothes and placing them haphazardly on the bed. Then he took out his journal in which his mother was teaching him to write both the English alphabet and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and placed it carefully away from the clothes.

Jack looked at the leather covered book. "What's that?" he asked.

"The al-pha-bet book." When Jack went to pick it up, Daniel moved it away and said, "Uh-uh. Mommy made it for _me_." It was very special to him and he didn't want anyone else looking at it.

"O-kay." Jack didn't push it. "How about I put your clothes away?" He didn't really think he could trust Daniel to do it. When Daniel agreed, Jack put most of the clothes in the small dresser - in the lower drawers - and the remainder in the wardrobe. The shoes, of which there were only a few pairs of sneakers while the rest were sandals, went in the bottom of the wardrobe. He did notice that most of the clothes were designed for summer. "Daniel, where's your winter clothes? You know, stuff to keep you warm?" he continued when the kid looked quizzically at him.

Daniel delved into his suitcase and got out a brightly coloured blanket. "Mommy always wrapped me in this at night. It was too hot in the day."

Something wasn't adding up; however knowing that his mother had married an archaeologist made Jack think that Daniel maybe hadn't spent much time in cold countries. "Daniel, where have you been living?"

"Egypt," Daniel said happily. He had liked living there lots and lots. "But we had to come here for Daddy's ex-hib-ti-shon." That had been really fun too. It had been soon after that, though, that Daniel had been told that his parents had gone away on another trip. His lower lip trembled; they hadn't even told him themselves. They had just kissed him goodbye and then got in the car, leaving him with a babysitter. And they hadn't come home.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Jack asked, hoping that the kid wasn't about to cry. What would he do with a crying kid?

"They didn't tell me they were going," Daniel stated, rubbing his eyes and sniffing. "They didn't come home like they said." Tears filled his eyes and he sniffed again.

Alarmed, Jack quickly sat down beside his brother and awkwardly patted him on the back. "I'm sure they had their reasons."

Daniel snuggled up against his brother's side, the tears starting to overflow. "I wanna go home."

"I know, kid, I know." What should he do know? Inspiration struck. "Think of this as an adventure, like going to Egypt. You can do that, can't you?"

Daniel stuck his thumb in his mouth as he contemplated that idea. An adventure? He liked adventures. "Uh-huh." This was going to be an adventure.

"Great." Relieved, Jack gave Daniel one more awkward pat before pulling away. "We'd better get the rest of your stuff unpacked then you can go... play or something." Jack didn't have any idea what four-year-olds enjoyed doing.

"Okay." As if the tears had never been, but still a bit sniffly, Daniel dug back into his suitcase, removing a few books, some photos, some pottery shards, and a thin multi-coloured rug that was as big as he was. Holding onto the rug, he slid off the bed and put it on the floor in the middle of the room. _Much better_, he thought. "Jack?"

"What? Oh, very nice," Jack said as he spied the rug.

The corners of Daniel's mouth turned down at Jack's insincere tone. "Don't you like it?"

"It's... great, I swear." When Jack saw the unhappy expression, he crouched down in front of the kid and looked him in the eye. "Really." He didn't want a repeat of the tears; a distraction was needed. "Where do you want the books to go?"

Daniel looked around the room, taking his time to seriously think about it. He wanted the books easily accessible so there was only one place to put them, except that the bedside table was next to the double bed. He pointed to it and said, "Can we shift it?"

"Sure." Jack lifted the table and put it beside the single bed. "Is that okay?"

"Yep." Daniel went over to the big bed and, because he had put the books near the edge, was able to retrieve them and then carry them over to put on the table. Perfect. Unfortunately, there were no shelves for the rest of his things so they would have to go on top of the dresser. "Can the other stuff go up there?" he asked, pointing.

Jack gathered up the rest of Daniel's belongings and put them on the dresser. "How about that?"

Daniel nodded, happy with the decision. "Thank you, Jack." He retrieved his teddy from the bed and surveyed the room. It would be okay but definitely needed some more colours.

"So... what do you want to do now?" Jack asked.

"Can I do some writing?"

"Why not?" Writing at the age of four - yep, this kid was definitely smarter than him.

Daniel retrieved his alphabet book and a packet of thick pencils, then followed Jack out to the living room. Lying down on the carpet, Daniel started working while Jack sat on the couch and turned the television on to a hockey game.


	3. Dinner

**Part 3 - Dinner**

An hour later Daniel was still working in his alphabet book; Jack was thoroughly amazed. He had always thought kids had a short attention span, yet Daniel had been writing constantly for a whole hour with only a few short breaks for wriggling. The kid looked cute, his expression set in concentration and a small pink tongue poking out between his lips. From this angle, Jack could see the resemblance to their mother - the same kind of nose, the sandy-brown hair and blue eyes, the round face; there seemed to no little similarities to Melburn Jackson, Daniel's father. Not that Jack knew his step-father all that well; they had only met twice - once at the wedding, and then at Daniel's christening. Jack - with his blonde hair and brown eyes - took after his father, John O'Neill, the drunken layabout whom Claire had divorced when Jack was twelve.

"Jack?" Daniel asked tentatively, seeing that his brother appeared to be staring at him.

"Yeah?" Jack quickly looked back at the television.

"I'm hungry." It had been a long time since lunch, and his stomach was beginning to grumble.

Looking at the clock, Jack saw that it was only half-past five; way too early for his dinner. "It's not time to eat yet," he told Daniel.

"But I'm hungry." A whine crept into Daniel's voice. "The lady only gave me a sandwich for lunch." He rolled over onto his side to look at Jack.

Staring into those big blue eyes, Jack almost gave in. But, he reminded himself, Daniel was living under his roof so the kid had to abide by his rules. "Well, you'll just have to wait."

Daniel couldn't believe that Jack was making him go hungry; he hadn't done anything wrong so why wouldn't Jack let him eat? "How long will it be?"

"'Bout another hour," Jack stated. Why wouldn't the kid let this go?

Frowning, Daniel tried to work out how long that would be; he could tell the time but had little concept of the length. "Is that long?" he queried.

"No, not long," Jack replied. But of course to him, an hour wasn't long. He didn't realise that it could be an eternity to a child.

"Jack?"

"Yes?" Jack's patience was beginning to wear a bit thin.

"Can I please have a drink?" If he couldn't get one, maybe he could get the other.

Sighing, Jack got up; he supposed there was no harm in giving the kid a drink. "What do you want?"

"Milk," Daniel replied promptly. He'd always had milk when in Egypt and loved the taste.

"Right, well, you'll have to drink it in the kitchen." Jack didn't want to have to clean up any mess from the carpet.

Daniel, carrying his teddy, followed Jack obediently into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He put the teddy on the table, then watched his brother get a glass from the cupboard and the milk from the refrigerator, before filling one with the other. Daniel held his hands out eagerly for the glass and took a big mouthful of the milk. Then he screwed up his nose with disgust. "This isn't milk!" he complained.

"Yes, it is. Look." Jack held the carton in front of his little half-brother.

Daniel saw the word 'milk' on the carton. "But it doesn't taste like milk," he said, trying to figure it out.

"Well, it has to be milk because it comes from cows," Jack explained, putting the milk away and closing the fridge door with a little more force than necessary; he could tell that Daniel was going to drive him up the wall!

"No, it doesn't. It comes from goats," Daniel stated with authority. He should know; he had often helped his father milk their goats.

Jack realised it was a cultural thing and forced himself to have patience. "Well, here it comes from cows so if you want milk, you'll have to drink it."

Daniel looked at the glass and contemplated his options. He was really hungry, and he supposed that cows' milk was better than none, but he didn't like the taste of it.

"Oh, for crying out loud." Jack went to take the milk away.

"No!" Daniel held onto the glass. "I'll drink it." To prove that he would, Daniel took a mouthful and tried not to make a face at the taste. "See?"

With a shake of his head, Jack turned, went to the cupboard and got out the chocolate syrup. Then he poured some into the glass of milk and stirred it with a spoon. "There, try that."

Daniel took a sip and found that it tasted really good. He said, "Thank you, Jack," before drinking more of the milk enthusiastically.

"Listen, I'm going to go back and watch the game," Jack stated, confident that Daniel could handle the drinking by himself. "When you're finished, just leave the glass on the table and come back."

"Okay," Daniel briefly disconnected himself from the glass to reply. Then he went back to drinking his new favourite kind of milk.

Jack returned to the living room and settled himself down on the couch again. But he couldn't concentrate on the game, Daniel's comment about only having a sandwich for lunch niggling at him. He supposed he really should make sure that the kid didn't go hungry. But it would only be a once off, having an early tea. Tomorrow he would set about laying down the ground rules for Daniel's short stay.

He checked the list that Mrs. Clarke had given him and decided that pizza would be okay. Jack then rang and ordered two pizzas; he could always heat some up for himself later on at his usual time.

Jack had just hung up when Daniel came into the living room sporting a chocolate-coloured milk moustache. "All finished?" Jack asked.

"Yep." Daniel smiled at Jack and then went over to his book again.

Sighing, Jack retrieved a tissue from the box on the bookshelf and handed it to Daniel. "Clean your mouth," he instructed.

Daniel obeyed, getting nearly all of the milk that he hadn't even been aware was there. Then he sat still as Jack cleaned the remainder off his upper lip. Once Jack was finished, Daniel sprawled out on the floor again, eager to continue his writing.

Fifteen minutes later, the pizza arrived. Daniel - and teddy - followed Jack into the kitchen and sat at the table expectantly. "What's that?" he asked, looking at the boxes that Jack held. That hour - or what he thought had been an hour - had gone very quickly.

"Pizza." Jack opened the small box and put it in front of Daniel. He had chosen the simplest type of pizza for the kid - Hawaiian - to see whether Daniel liked it. "You eat it like this." Jack lifted a slice of his pizza and demonstrated how to eat it.

Putting his teddy aside, Daniel used both hands to lift a piece of pizza to his mouth. He bit off the end and chewed it thoughtfully, trying to decide whether he liked it.

"Well?" Jack prompted, thinking that if Daniel hadn't complained by now, then he probably liked it.

"Pretty good," Daniel replied with his mouth full.

Three slices of pizza and a lot of mess later, Daniel leaned back in his chair. "I'm full," he said, patting his stomach just like he had seen his father do.

The corners of Jack's mouth twitched at the adult-like action. "Do you want anything for dessert? How about some ice-cream?"

Daniel perked up at that. "Yes please!"

Jack cleared away Daniel's plate, scraping the food that had fallen off the pizza into the bin, and got him some chocolate ice-cream. The kid dug in straight away, virtually inhaling it. "Slow down," Jack told him, not wanting to deal with ice-cream headaches or sick stomachs from eating too fast.

"Okay." The pace slowed but not by much. Soon Daniel was finished and he started swinging his legs as he waited for Jack. "Are you having ice-cream too?"

"Maybe later." Jack could hear the rhythmic thump-thump of the little feet hitting the leg of the table. "How about we go back into the other room?"

Daniel grabbed his teddy and slithered off the chair before running into the living room. Jack finished off his slice of pizza before putting the rest in the fridge for later and following his brother. Maybe he could get some more of the game watched this time.


	4. Bedtime Fun

Just a short piece to finish off the first day g .

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**Part 4 - Bedtime Fun**

About half an hour later, Daniel started yawning; he'd had a long day. Jack noticed this and thought with relief that he could put Daniel to bed. _That shouldn't be too hard_, he thought. "Okay, kid, time for bed."

"Okay," Daniel agreed. He went to his bedroom, got his pyjamas and toothbrush, and then went back out into the hallway where Jack was just stepping out of the kitchen.

"Where ya going?" Jack asked.

"Mommy always gave me a bath before bedtime," Daniel explained, heading into the bathroom and waiting patiently for Jack to follow.

A bath? That was going to take ages! "How 'bout we skip the bath tonight?" Jack suggested as he went into the bathroom, not wanting the hassle of having to run the bath and then supervise. He knew he would have to eventually do it but he wanted to put it off as long as possible.

"But I always have a bath. It's very 'portant to keep clean," Daniel told him, his face serious. "I used to get lots dirty."

"I bet you did." Jack looked down at the little kid who was gazing up at him expectantly. He wasn't sure how Daniel would react if he said 'no' but was it worth possibly provoking tears or a tantrum, which would end up being more hassle than the bath? "Alright, okay, you can have a bath," Jack gave in. "But only a quick one." Maybe there would still be time to catch the end of the hockey game.

Daniel nodded; he could do quick.

Jack set the water running and then helped Daniel to get undressed, tackling the tricky buttons on the jeans. When the water was about eight inches deep, Jack turned the taps off and lifted Daniel up, ready to put him in.

"Wait!" Daniel squealed, wriggling in Jack's grip. "You have to check the water first."

"Oh." That was probably a good idea, Jack realised, putting Daniel down. He put his hand into the water - it was very warm but not intolerably so.

"No, no, no," Daniel said authoritatively. "Mommy always checked it with her elbow. She said she had a special ther-om-e-ter in there."

_Therometer..._? _oh, thermometer_, Jack translated the word. "Right." He pushed up his right sleeve and put his elbow in the water. "Yeow!" That had been hotter than he had been expecting. He vaguely remembered reading something about the skin on the elbow being a more accurate gauge of temperature, which meant that the bath was a little too hot. As Daniel giggled at his reaction, Jack put some more cold water in, occasionally testing it until it seemed just right.

Jack lifted Daniel into the bath, then retrieved some soap and a washcloth for the kid to use. "Here you go - get clean."

"Okay." Daniel took the soap and giggled as it slipped out of his hand. "Uh-oh." He used two hands to try and catch the soap but as it continued to slip out of his hands, he kept giggling, thinking it was a huge joke. He chased it around the bath, splashing and having heaps of fun.

Jack frowned impatiently at the kid, certain that Daniel was doing it on purpose. "Daniel," he said sternly.

"I can't catch it," Daniel told him, trying unsuccessfully to pick the soap up. "It won't stay still."

Deciding it would be quicker if he did it himself, Jack reached in and caught the soap. Then he handed it to Daniel and instructed him to hold on tightly.

"Yes, Jack." Daniel used both his hands to hold it and then quickly rubbed it over his body. When he was finished, he held the soap out for Jack to take. After his brother took it, Daniel used the washcloth to get rid of all the soap on his body, then rinsed it out and scrubbed his face just like his mother always did.

"And behind your ears," Jack instructed, remembering what his mother always told him.

Daniel happily obeyed, then handed over the washcloth when Jack held out his hand to take it. "Can I have a long bath tomorrow?"

"We'll see," Jack said non-committally. He had taken the day off tomorrow to help Daniel settle in, and had planned to have a poker night with the guys. What would they think of him if he had to give Daniel a bath in the middle of it?

He lifted Daniel out of the bath - at arm's length so that he didn't get wet - and put the kid on the bathmat. Then he reached for the towel and wrapped it around Daniel's shoulders.

Daniel looked at Jack in confusion. "Aren't you going to help me?" Whenever he tried to dry himself, there was always bits that he missed because some towels - like this one - were too big for him to handle properly.

Jack sighed as he realised just how reliant Daniel was going to be on him; this was already way more than he had bargained for. He briskly rubbed Daniel dry and then helped the kid to get dressed in the blue pyjamas with pyramids on them. "Okay, what next?" He figured he ought to find out the nightly ritual to save time.

"Toilet, then teeth," Daniel informed him. He raised his arms, waiting for Jack to lift him up again.

Jack did so, this time sitting Daniel on the seat. Then, when Daniel was finished, he put the kid on the bench next to the basin and assisted him with the teeth-cleaning which apparently consisted at the end of filling one's mouth up with as much water as possible and then spitting it all out at once; Jack reckoned that Daniel looked like a chipmunk with the puffed-out cheeks.

Finally, Jack took Daniel into the bedroom, looking forward to having a peaceful few hours before he himself went to bed. He helped Daniel get into the single bed, teddy bear beside him, removed the kid's glasses and put them on the nearby table, and then tucked him in. "Goodnight, kid."

"Jack!" the call came before he had even taken two steps.

"What now?" Jack turned and looked at Daniel from the doorway.

"Can you read me a story?" Daniel asked. He could read the books he had but he loved being read to as well; there was something very comforting about it.

A story? Jack checked his watch; the hockey game was well and truly over, so he wasn't in any rush. "I suppose so. Any one in particular?" He picked up the books that Daniel had brought with him.

"Androcles and the Lion," Daniel stated, surprising Jack with his pronunciation of the name.

Jack found the book on the bottom of the pile. "Androcles and the Lion, it is then." He sat down on the edge of the bed and Daniel scooted over to curl up beside him. When they were both settled, Jack started reading, Daniel silently mouthing the words along with him.

Five pages later, Daniel was sound asleep.

Easing himself carefully off the bed, Jack looked down at the sleeping child. Daniel was curled up on his left side, thumb firmly in his mouth and right arm possessively holding the teddy. _Cute_, Jack thought, then shook his head; he wasn't going to get attached to Daniel. He didn't know the first thing about raising a kid - much better to send him to someone who did. Therefore, he wasn't going to let himself get too attached to his little brother.

Despite that, Jack went out to the garage and quickly knocked together a box for Daniel to stand on in the bathroom. When he went back inside with the box, Jack switched on the light in the hallway so that Daniel wouldn't get lost in the dark if he got up during the night, and then put the box in the bathroom in case the kid needed it.

That done, Jack checked in on Daniel, who hadn't moved, and then he went back to the living room to finish off the pizza and hopefully watch some uninterrupted television - and find out what the final score had been for the hockey game.


	5. A Great Start to the Day?

**Part 5 - A Great Start to the Day?**

**Monday, 24th November **

When Daniel awoke, it was dark in his bedroom. He could see a light shining into his room from the hallway, which made it a little less scary, but he was still afraid of the shadows he could see. "It's okay," he said to his teddy bear, Thoth, as he decided to be brave and find the bathroom. With Thoth for company, Daniel got out of bed and quickly moved into the hallway, then into the bathroom next door.

Standing on tiptoe, he reached for and found the lightswitch, which he turned on, immediately brightening the room. To his surprise, there was a wooden box situated in front of the toilet that hadn't been there earlier. Deciding that was good, he climbed onto it, then sat down on the toilet seat.

After completing his business, Daniel dragged the box over to the basin and washed his hands. Then he picked up Thoth, turned off the light - after several tries - and went back to his bedroom doorway. He stood there for a minute, looking inside at the dark shadowy objects inside, before deciding that he wasn't brave enough to venture back in. Besides, Jack hadn't checked for monsters earlier, so there could be some lurking under his bed.

With that thought, Daniel turned and ventured down the brightly lit hallway in the hopes of finding Jack. The door opposite the bathroom was slightly ajar so Daniel cautiously pushed it open and bravely ventured inside. As he got closer, he could see the bed and the lumpy shape in it. Deciding he would be safer here, Daniel crawled into the bed.

Being a light sleeper, Jack woke up with the disturbance. He rolled over and turned on the bedside light, then looked at the other side of the bed. Daniel lay there, only the top of his head visible above the blankets, eyes tightly closed. "Daniel, what are you doing here?"

"Thoth was scared," the boy replied, transferring his fears onto the teddy bear.

Jack's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Who's Thoth?"

Opening his eyes, Daniel held his teddy bear out for Jack to see. "Mommy says Thoth is the guardian of wisdom, and that's why she gave him to me."

_O-kay then_, Jack thought, thinking it was a weird choice of name for a teddy bear. "So what you're saying is that you're scared," he tried to make sense of what Daniel was saying.

"No, _Thoth_ is scared," Daniel said with exaggerated patience.

"Daniel, it's a teddy bear." Jack couldn't bring himself to endow the toy with feelings. "It can't be scared."

"Yes, it can," Daniel argued, hugging Thoth close to him. "He misses Mommy and Daddy," he added quietly.

Jack sighed and rubbed a hand over his face; he wasn't up to this in the middle of the night. "Daniel," he warned; how could he get the kid to go back to bed without tears so he could get a good nights' sleep?

"Can we stay here?" Daniel asked in a small voice, sensing that Jack wasn't happy with him. His thumb automatically went into his mouth, as it often did when he was uncertain.

He knew he really ought to send Daniel back but Jack also knew that being away from home must be tough on the kid. "Sure, why not?" he said, settling down again and turning off the light. "Just don't kick."

"I won't," Daniel promised, happy that he could stay. He scooted a bit closer to Jack, confident that he would be safe in this room. "Are you mad?" he inquired hesitantly, hoping the answer was 'no'.

_Only for thinking I could do this_, Jack said mentally. But to Daniel, he stated, "No, I'm not mad. I'm just tired. Now, go to sleep."

"Okay," Daniel happily agreed. Jack wasn't mad at him; that was good.

Jack waited for any more questions but when there was only silence, he allowed himself to relax and go to sleep; it seemed that he would need to be well rested for tomorrow.

Daniel was the first one awake in the morning. He hadn't moved from his spot in the bed but Jack was now right on the edge of the bed, curled up facing Daniel. The little boy looked at his brother for a minute, observing the quiet mutterings and restless movement, waiting for him to wake up. When he didn't, Daniel crawled closer and shook Jack's shoulder.

Jack came awake suddenly and rolled onto his back to get away from the touch, flinging his arm out at the same time. His hand contacted something before he overbalanced and fell out of bed onto the hard floor.

Tears welled up in Daniel's eyes; Jack's hand had hit his cheek, and it hurt. He stuck his thumb in his mouth as two fat tears rolled down his cheeks. Jack had hit him! He hadn't done anything naughty!

Shaking off the bad dream - or as it happened to be this time, a memory - Jack realised what must have happened. He quickly got up and looked at Daniel. The boy was still sitting there, eyes wide and glistening with tears, with one thumb in his mouth and a reddening mark on his cheek. Jack swore under his breath and then sat down beside the kid. Daniel scooted away from him, scared. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

"I didn't do anything," Daniel said, his tone clearly portraying that he was upset and bewildered.

"I know. It's my fault. I should have warned you not to wake me up like that." How was he going to explain that to a four-year-old?

"Why?" Daniel forgot about his tears as he became curious at Jack's words.

Jack took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "A while ago, some bad men hurt me very badly. Sometimes I have bad dreams about it, and when I do, I forget where I am. And if you try to wake me up like you did, and I'm still dreaming, then it can be dangerous." He looked at the kid to see if he was following the explanation.

"It was a bad dream?" Daniel queried, trying to understand it, his lower lip quivering.

"Yes." Jack reached out and patted Daniel's shoulder; the kid didn't shy away this time. "I'm sorry. Does it hurt?"

Daniel nodded silently; it was still throbbing a little but not as bad as it had been.

Jack took a closer look at the red mark. It would fade quickly, he decided, being somewhat of an expert on bruises. "It'll be fine. How about we have some breakfast?" he suggested, changing the subject.

"Okay." Frowning because Jack wasn't going to kiss it better, Daniel slid off the bed with his teddy bear, put his thumb back in his mouth and headed off to the kitchen, still subdued.

Jack flopped back on the bed; the day was off to a bad start and he didn't know how to make it better.

Daniel waited in the kitchen for what seemed like a long time. He sat on a chair and swung his legs rhythmically, wondering what was keeping Jack. He was pleased that Jack hadn't hit him on purpose, because that meant that Jack didn't dislike him, but his young mind couldn't really comprehend what kind of dreams his brother experienced that would make him hit people. The only bad dreams he knew about were about monsters or bad Egyptian gods coming back to life.

When Jack came in, Daniel looked at him to judge his mood. Jack seemed sort of grumpy so Daniel decided to keep quiet and not provide any morning chatter. He stilled his legs and waited for his brother to make the first move.

Searching through the cupboards, Jack got out two bowls and spoons, a box of Froot Loops, and the milk. He put them on the table and then put a hand on Daniel's head. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel tipped his head back to stare solemnly at Jack.

"Good." Refraining from the urge to ruffle Daniel's hair, Jack sat down on a nearby chair and poured some cereal for the kid. After putting some milk on the Froot Loops, he pushed the bowl over to Daniel. "Here, eat this." He handed the spoon over.

Daniel stared at the strange-looking cereal in front of him. "What is it?" Little multi-coloured rings filled his bowl. He squinted at the box on the table, reading the words. "What does 'Froot Loops' mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Jack tried to explain. "They are called that because they're fruit-flavoured loops." Which, when he thought about it, sounded quite weird.

Picking up a green one, Daniel asked, "What's this one supposed to be?"

"Uh, probably apple," Jack guessed.

Daniel put it in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully, mentally trying to compare it to a real apple. "It doesn't taste like an apple."

"Well, it won't taste _exactly_ like an apple because it's got cereal in it," Jack told him.

"Why?"

Jack leaned his head back for a moment, not used to dealing with such a barrage of questions. People in the army followed orders, they didn't continually ask questions. "It just does, okay?"

Daniel still had some questions but he recognised the tone of voice that Jack was using as being like the one his daddy sometimes used when he was too busy to answer any more. "Okay," he agreed, and started eating the cereal. He still wasn't thrilled with the milk but since it mixed in with the cereal, it wasn't too bad.

After he finished his cereal, Jack made some chocolate milk for Daniel, which the little boy drank eagerly. When Daniel was finished, he started swinging his legs, which annoyed Jack. "How about you go get dressed and clean your teeth?" Jack suggested.

"Okay." Daniel went to his bedroom, put his glasses on, and then started going through the drawers with his clothes in them. He pulled out the first pair of underwear, jeans and t-shirt that he came across, then took them to the middle of the room and sat on the floor to get changed. The pyjama top was a bit tricky with its buttons but he persevered and finally got them undone. Then he pulled on the t-shirt without checking to see which way it was supposed to go. The pyjama bottoms were easier to remove, and then he put the underwear and jeans on, fortunately in the right order. However, when he was finished and he surveyed himself, Daniel decided that something wasn't quite right - the pockets of the jeans were missing. So he tried to look behind himself to see if the pockets were there.

He was spinning around in circles when Jack entered. A smile involuntarily appeared on Jack's face; Daniel looked like a dog trying to catch its' own tail. "What are you doing?" he asked in an amused tone. When Daniel stopped spinning, Jack saw that the kid had put his clothes on back-to-front. "Come here." He crouched down to Daniel's level.

"I can't find the pockets," Daniel told him, obediently - and a little unsteadily - going over to Jack. "They're missing!"

"They're not missing," Jack promised him, still smiling. He helped Daniel put the t-shirt on the right way, then he pulled down the jeans. "Hop out."

Daniel stepped out of the jeans, one small hand on Jack's shoulder for balance. Then when Jack turned the jeans around the other way, with the pockets at the front, Daniel followed his brother's instructions to put them back on correctly. That was much better, he decided, seeing that the pockets had reappeared.

"How about a sweater?" Jack said, knowing that the weather was going to be cold outside since it was nearly winter. Despite the season though, it was fairly moderate weather for late November; during the night, he had only had the central heating on low.

Daniel went over to the drawer and pulled out a reasonably thick blue sweater. "Like this?" It went well with his blue jeans but clashed with the brown t-shirt.

_Oh well_, Jack reasoned, _at least the t-shirt would be hidden under the sweater. _"Yes, that'll be fine." He beckoned for Daniel to come over to him again so that he could ensure that the sweater went on properly.

Once Daniel was ready, he started to head to the bathroom but was stopped when Jack said, "Socks." So he went back into the bedroom and rooted around amongst all of his clothes, totally messing up the orderly way Jack had arranged them the previous day. He found some blacks socks, sat on the floor, and put them on his feet. Then he continued on his mission to the bathroom.

Jack sighed; he didn't know whether Daniel was naturally quiet in the morning or whether the kid was still upset about what had happened earlier. He hoped it was the first reason because he didn't know how to fix the second. Going over to the drawers, he made the remaining clothes neat again, and then went to the bathroom to see how Daniel was going.

To his surprise, the door to the bathroom was shut. Jack knocked on the door. "Daniel, are you alright?" he called out.

"I'm fine," came the response. Soon after, the toilet flushed and a few seconds later, the door opened. Daniel looked up at him, a confused expression on his face. "Why?"

"I, uh..." Jack didn't really have an explanation; he had just been surprised by the sudden need for privacy. "Just checking," he eventually said.

"Okay." Daniel accepted that and went back to wash his hands. After he had done that, he got his toothbrush and held out the toothpaste. "Jack, can you please put some on?" It had been well drummed into him by his mother not to do it himself after the time when he had squeezed the paste all out.

"Right." Jack entered the room and put a small amount of toothpaste onto the brush.

"Thank you." Daniel perfunctorily cleaned his teeth, spat out the paste and then did his little ritual of putting lots of water in his mouth so that his cheeks bulged out. Then, leaning over the sink, he 'popped' his cheeks with his hands and the water flew out of his mouth into the basin.

"Daniel," Jack warned him, having stepped back to avoid getting wet. "There's no need to do that. Just spit the water out properly," he ordered.

"But it's fun!" Daniel protested, a pout appearing on his face.

"It might be fun but it's also messy," Jack stated firmly, getting a washcloth and wiping drops of toothpaste off Daniel's face. "Mess is bad."

"Why?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Because messy isn't a good look."

"Why?"

Jack bit his tongue; he was getting thoroughly sick of that word already. "Because it isn't. So while you're in this house, you'll have to be tidy, okay? Not make any mess."

"Okay." Daniel figured he could do that - while he remembered, anyway. "Are we going out today?"

"Yes, we are," Jack replied, deciding to clean his teeth now while Daniel was still in the bathroom.

"Where are we going?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Shopping." Jack put the toothpaste on the brush. "Daniel, how about you go do something in your room until I'm ready."

"Okay." Daniel got down from the box and wandered back to his bedroom. He picked out one of his books, sat down in the middle of the floor, and started reading.

Jack quickly showered, shaved and dressed, then checked in on Daniel, who was still reading quietly. He was relieved that the kid seemed to be able to entertain himself, as that would free up Jack's time.

Daniel looked up when he saw Jack in the doorway. "Are we going now?" he asked somewhat eagerly; his spirits had lifted considerably while he had been reading.

Shaking his head, Jack replied, "The shops won't be open yet. Do you want to watch some cartoons?"

"What are cartoons?" Daniel queried, tilting his head quizzically.

"I'll show you." Jack gestured for Daniel to follow him into the living room. When they got there, Jack turned the television on and flicked through the channels until he found a cartoon. "That is a cartoon," he said, pointing at the screen.

Daniel stared at it for a minute, trying to work out what was so good about it. Then he found himself airborne as Jack picked up him and sat him on the couch. Confused, Daniel watched Jack sit down on the chair nearby and start to read the newspaper, clearly ignoring him. It was becoming obvious that Jack didn't want to play with him, and Daniel felt disappointed. His parents had always found time each day to play with him, especially in the mornings before they went to work.

Jack eventually realised that Daniel was staring at him. He lowered the paper and asked, "Don't you like the cartoon?"

"Why don't you like me?" Daniel countered; he had so wanted his brother to like him.

"I like you," Jack replied, not entirely convincingly.

"But you don't want to do anything with me," Daniel persisted, scooting back on the couch and tucking his knees to his chest.

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes; kids - they always took things so personally. "I always read the paper in the morning. I just thought that you might like to watch some cartoons or something."

Having never watched television before, Daniel had little interest in it. "Can I go outside?"

"Not this morning." It was too cold, and Daniel didn't have the right shoes for playing in a possibly muddy backyard. "We need to get you some rainboots first."

"What are they?"

"Shoes that are very important for playing outside if it's cold and wet," Jack explained. Geez, Daniel asked a lot of questions.

"Oh." Daniel absorbed that information. "Can I read then?"

Jack nodded. "Sure." If that's what interested the kid, then who was he to stand in the way?

Daniel slid off the couch and went back to his room. Jack returned to reading his paper and ignored the little voice in his head that was berating him for not spending time with Daniel. He had his routine and he was going to stick with it as much as possible even with the kid around. Daniel was just going to have to get used to it.


	6. Shopping

This is for all those who have ever taken children shopping!

-------------------------

**Part 6 - Shopping...**

Daniel sat on the floor near the front door and tugged his small sneakers on. "Jack?" he called to his older brother, who was just coming into the hallway from the bedroom. When he had Jack's attention, he held out his left foot.

Concealing a sigh, Jack crouched down and quickly tied Daniel's shoelaces. The kid had perked up a bit after his reading, which Jack supposed was good but he was hoping that Daniel wouldn't be too hard to manage in the shopping centre.

_Why are we going shopping_, Jack thought as he walked out to his four-wheel-drive with Daniel alongside him. He didn't know what a four-year-old boy needed, especially not this one. From what he'd seen of the kid's books last night, Daniel was into mythology and Ancient Egypt, and Jack knew little about those; he didn't remember his mother reading those kinds of stories to him when he was younger. And Daniel was smart, reading books that Jack reckoned he wouldn't have been able to read when he was at least seven. What kind of toys could Jack get to keep Daniel occupied?

He would deal with the toys after the clothes, he decided as he put the booster seat in the car, Daniel - and teddy - climbing in after it. Jack arranged the seatbelt and clicked it into place before shutting the door and going around to the driver's side. Situating himself on his seat, Jack adjusted the rear-view mirror so that he could see Daniel, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat. "You okay back there?"

"Yep." Daniel looked out the window to his right as Jack started driving. He was still fascinated by all the fancy houses in America; in Egypt, he was used to more simpler houses and tents. He wasn't entirely used to cars yet either, although he had sometimes had travelled in old ones with his parents when they had to get somewhere quickly. "Jack?"

"What?" Jack briefly looked in the mirror as he replied.

"Are we going very far?"

"Not very far," Jack told him. Maybe that would limit the number of questions Daniel would ask.

Ten quiet minutes - not counting a few questions - later, they pulled up at the local shopping centre. Jack parked the car, then got out and walked around to the back door to open it for Daniel. "The bear stays here," he said as the kid scooted across the seat, the teddy in his hand.

"But Jack--" Daniel started to protest.

"But nothing," Jack said firmly, waiting with the door held open for Daniel to obey.

Reluctantly, Daniel put Thoth down, then climbed out of the car and looked around him. There were many cars and many people, and the shopping centre looked huge. Suddenly a bit uncertain, Daniel plastered himself to Jack's left leg. He was used to lots of people, having visited bazaars with his parents, but this was totally different. His right thumb made its way into his mouth.

Looking down, Jack noticed that Daniel seemed a bit nervous. Carefully peeling the arm from around his leg, Jack took the small hand in his and headed off towards the building. As he did so, he noticed a few parents who had their children on some kind of leash or harness, preventing the kids from wandering off. It didn't seem like a bad idea, but it didn't seem necessary at the moment; he would keep it in mind for when Daniel was more confident in his surroundings.

"And no sucking your thumb while we're shopping. You're getting too old for that anyway," Jack added when he realised that Daniel's thumb was still in his mouth.

"Am not," Daniel argued sullenly; if he wasn't allowed to have his teddy, then he had to do the sucking thing.

Jack stopped, crouched down in front of Daniel and pulled the thumb out. "What was our rule?" he asked impatiently.

Daniel looked at the ground and scuffed one sneaker as he muttered, "I don't know."

"Yes, you do," Jack disagreed. "When you talk, the thumb comes out of your mouth. And also, when you're talking to someone, you look at them." He lifted Daniel's chin so that he could see the sulky expression. "Now, you think you can follow those rules or shall we forget about shopping and go home?"

Daniel thought it through carefully; he liked the idea of getting some new things, and it might be worth having to obey the rules to get them. "I can follow them," he stated.

"Good." Jack stood up again and took hold of Daniel's hand. "Let's go."

It didn't take long to find a kids' clothing shop. There were a few women in there with their young children - being a weekday, the older children were at school - but no men. That made Jack uncomfortable, especially as they all turned to look at him as he walked through the store. _Probably wondering whether I'm a single father or something_, he thought, catching the eye of one young-looking woman. _Actually, that could work_, Jack decided as the woman smiled at him. If he played the hapless father who didn't know what to get for his son, then the women would flock to him.

"See anything you like?" Jack prompted Daniel as they arrived in the boys section.

Daniel, who had been observing everything with awe, looked up at Jack with wide eyes. "I can choose?" His mother had always chosen his clothes.

"Sure," Jack shrugged.

Taking the responsibility seriously, Daniel looked around him at the rows of clothes, trying to see if there was anything he liked. There were so many items to choose from, he didn't know where to start.

Jack waited patiently to begin with but when Daniel showed no signs of choosing anything, he sighed. He would have to choose for the kid, or at the very least, prompt him along. Picking up a nearby green coat that looked like it was stuffed with huge marshmallows, Jack said, "What about this?"

"Uh-uh." Daniel shook his head; he didn't like the colour nor the puffiness.

"Okay, how about this one?" Jack held up a red one.

Another shake of the head; too bright. Daniel wanted something in blue but he couldn't see anything at the moment.

"First time shopping?" an amused voice inquired from behind.

Jack turned to see a young dark-haired woman in her mid-twenties standing nearby, a big four-year-old boy at her side. "How'd you guess?" he said dryly.

"The look of bewilderment as you entered gave it away," she said before introducing herself. "I'm Linda and this is Adam."

"Jack." He held out a hand for her to shake. "And this is Daniel," he stated, putting a hand on the kid's head. He felt Daniel inch his way behind Jack's leg again, obviously hesitant about meeting someone new.

"Hi," Linda said, smiling at Daniel.

When Daniel didn't say anything, Jack nudged him. "Hi," Daniel said quietly. He didn't like the look of the boy opposite him, and was hiding more from him than Linda. Adam was taller and heavier than Daniel, and the latter hoped that they wouldn't have to play together.

Linda turned her attention back to Jack. "What are you looking for?"

_A date_, was Jack's immediate thought, but he said aloud, "Some winter clothes - coats, mittens, that sort of thing."

"I know just the thing." Linda led them one aisle over and showed Jack a medium blue coat. "It's warm, and the mittens are attached so there's no excuses about not being able to find them," she explained, pointing the features out to Jack.

"Sounds perfect," Jack said with a grin. He picked one out at random then crouched down and held it up in front of Daniel. "Here, try this one on."

Daniel took it and measured it against himself. "It's too big," he stated; it reached his knees.

Linda got a smaller one off the rack and crouched down in front of Daniel. "Here, try this one." She held it out for him to put his arms into.

Daniel looked up at Jack, who nodded, so he let Linda put the coat on him. It was a lot bulkier than he was used to, and his arms felt like they were sticking out sideways. But on the other hand, he did like the colour.

"How's that?" Linda asked, doing up the zip and smiling at the little boy.

"Okay," Daniel shrugged, studiously examining the mittens and putting a hand inside one.

"Daniel," Jack warned firmly.

Remembering the discussion they'd had outside, Daniel lifted his head to look at the lady. "It's okay," he stated.

"Does it feel too big?" Linda questioned, checking the outfit for herself.

"No?" Daniel replied uncertainly; he wasn't too sure whether it was big or not.

She smiled at him, then unzipped the coat and helped him take it off. "This one is fine," she told Jack, handing it to him.

"Thank you," said Jack, smiling back at her, flirting. "It would have taken us ages."

"Oh, I don't think it would have. You're military, aren't you?" Linda commented.

Jack's smile changed into a grin. "The short hair give it away?" His hair wasn't as short as the Marines but those in Special Ops, like he was, tended to keep it short too.

"That, and the posture," Linda told him. "My partner's a Marine attached to Cheyenne Mountain," she explained with a knowing twinkle in her eyes; Jack's flirting had been rather obvious to her.

"Oh." _Well, there went that date,_ Jack thought, a little disappointed but shrugging it off philosophically. He had always had a policy - well, since he was twenty-five anyway - not to date women who were already involved, after being heartbroken by a married older woman.

"There's a day-care centre just down the road, about a mile, from the base if you need somewhere to take Daniel," she continued, taking Adam's hand when it looked like he was about wander away.

Jack nodded, appreciating the advice. "Thanks, I'll check it out." Since he would be going back to work tomorrow, he needed somewhere to take Daniel for the day. "You wouldn't happen to have the name of a good babysitter, would you?" He would need one if he went out on any dates between now and when Daniel left.

While Jack and Linda talked, Daniel stared at Adam, who was glaring at him. Daniel didn't know what he'd done to earn Adam's dislike but he hoped that Jack decided against sending him to the same centre. Even though he was only four, he recognised a bully when he saw one.

Adam poked out his tongue at Daniel, which the smaller boy ignored, instead reaching up for Jack's hand and trying to pull him away.

"Daniel, behave!" Jack scolded, planting his feet firmly on the floor so the kid couldn't move him.

"It's alright," Linda said, smiling in amusement at the cute little boy. "We'd better be going anyway. Good luck with the rest of the shopping." With another smile at Jack, she led Adam away.

"Thank you," Jack called after her before turning to Daniel. "What was that about?" he asked, annoyed that the kid had behaved like that in a public place.

"Nothing," Daniel said sullenly, looking at Jack while he spoke and then turning his attention to the floor.

"I don't like lying and I don't tolerate people being rude," Jack reprimanded him. "Now, tell me the truth."

"What's toler... tol-er-ate?" Daniel was distracted by the new word, sounding it out carefully.

"It means put up with," Jack stated briefly. "Answer my question, Daniel." He stared solemnly at the kid.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Daniel spent a moment remembering what the question had been. "Why was I rude?" he asked uncertainly.

Jack nodded. "Exactly." _Geez, dealing with Daniel certainly tried one's patience_.

"Because Adam poked out his tongue and I don't like him," Daniel explained with a four-year-old's logic. "He's a _'ibn haram_'."

After Jack translated the Arabic word, he swiftly smacked Daniel's bottom. "Never use those words again," he said sternly. "Where did you learn that?"

His lower lip trembling at the suddenness of being smacked, not at the pain, Daniel sniffed and said haltingly, "On the-the digs." He didn't know what it meant, only that bad people were called by it.

"Well, it's bad and little boys shouldn't use it." Jack took Daniel's hand and led him towards the section for dressing-gowns; the kid needed something to keep him warm on the cold nights to come.

"Daddy never hit me!" Daniel protested tearfully as he was pulled along.

"Well, if your daddy heard you using words like that, he would smack you," Jack countered, coming to a halt in front of the fluffy robes. As he did so, he realised that Daniel had used Arabic; he wondered how many other words he knew. "And just so you know, I can speak Arabic too so I'll know if you use any more bad words." His knowledge was of a guttural dialect, so he knew how to curse fluently.

"My daddy's going to be really mad that you hit me when he gets back," Daniel threatened.

Jack let that one slide; he couldn't very well tell Daniel right now that his daddy wouldn't be coming back. "This looks okay," he said, picking out a green brushed-cotton robe with cartoon-like dogs on it. He checked the size tag against the one on the coat and saw that they were the same.

"I don't like it," Daniel said mutinously, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting on the floor.

"Well, then you'll just have to freeze," Jack stated, putting the robe back and walking away, wondering how Daniel's parents had disciplined him. The occasional smack did no harm - he remembered plenty of times when his father had smacked him. When John was sober, of course; drunk was a different matter.

Daniel stared as Jack left him sitting in the aisle, and two tears escaped to fall down his cheeks. He wasn't used to anyone treating him like this and he didn't know how to deal with it. As Jack turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Daniel panicked. "Jack!" he yelled, running after his big brother, hoping that he wouldn't be left behind.

To his surprise, Jack was waiting just around the corner. Daniel came to an abrupt halt and stuck his thumb in his mouth, relieved that Jack hadn't left him but still upset at the scare.

"Are you ready to behave?" Jack asked, giving Daniel a stern look.

Daniel nodded his head, more tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Good." Jack took pity on Daniel and picked him up, then they went back to the robes together. "Now, which one do you like?"

Surveying the range, his head resting on Jack's shoulder, Daniel eventually pointed to the one his brother had picked out earlier; he thought the dogs looked nice.

"Now we're in business," Jack said, getting the right-sized one off the rack.

After that, they chose some miniature sweat-pants for Daniel to wear around the house in the cold weather, and some polo-necked, long-sleeved t-shirts to wear under the two jumpers Daniel had. Jack paid for the clothes, amazed at how much they cost, and then headed out of the shop with Daniel in search of somewhere to buy shoes.


	7. And More Shopping

**Part 7 - And More Shopping...**

Because Daniel seemed a little cheerier when they left the clothes store, and the kid was getting heavy to carry, not to mention he only had one hand because of the other holding the shopping bags, Jack put him down but kept hold of his brother's hand.

They went into the first shoe store they saw, which had medium-sized kids' section. Daniel was being very clingy, and Jack realised that he should never have pretended to leave him behind. _No child should be made to believe they are being abandoned,_ Jack reprimanded himself; _especially one whose life has just been turned upside down._

A middle-aged sales assistant by the name of Bob came over to them as they looked at the range of shoes. "Do you need any assistance?" Bob asked.

"Just looking for some rainboots," Jack replied.

"Of course. What size?" Bob inquired.

"Uh..." Jack looked down at Daniel. "I'm not sure." Just like with the clothes, he had forgotten to check before they had left home.

"In that case, we'll measure the feet," Bob said, smiling at the pair. "Please, take a seat." He gestured to the chairs nearby and then left them.

Jack sat down on the nearest seat and expected Daniel to do the same. However, Daniel remained plastered to Jack's right leg, his thumb in his mouth. "Daniel, hop up onto the chair," Jack instructed. Daniel just turned those big blue eyes onto him and Jack sighed before lifting the kid onto his lap.

Daniel snuggled back against his brother's chest, still a little scared. There were just so many shops and people, and it was all a bit overwhelming. And he didn't want Jack to lose him or leave him behind, so Daniel was planning on sticking very close.

Bob came back with an oblong-shaped measuring device and knelt down in front of the brothers. "If the young man would like to put his foot on here," he instructed.

When Daniel made no move to obey, Jack took the right sneaker off and then parted his legs so that Daniel could stand between them. He kept one arm around Daniel as the kid's foot was measured, then when Bob had the information he needed, Jack picked Daniel up and sat him on his lap again, sensing that the kid needed the security.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack looked down at his brother.

"What's rainboots?" Daniel asked curiously, remembering to take the thumb out of his mouth before he spoke.

"Rubber shoes that you wear outside when it's raining or snowing," Jack explained; he had forgotten that Daniel might not know what they were.

"Why?"

"So your feet don't get wet."

Daniel was quiet for a moment as he contemplated that. "Is wet bad?" he inquired, thinking of all the baths he had taken and wondering whether that was bad.

"Sometimes," Jack replied, watching the salesman return. "If it's cold like rain or snow, then it's bad."

"What's snow?" Daniel wanted to know next.

"I'll explain later," Jack said as Bob arrived with four pairs of rainboots.

Bob displayed the boots on the floor - black, blue, red, and rainbow were the colours of the four pairs. "Which ones would you like to try first?" he asked Daniel.

"Blue," Daniel said, pointing to that pair.

"Blue, please," Jack corrected.

Daniel glanced at him briefly before echoing, "Blue, please."

"You'll need to stand up," Bob stated, getting the blue pair and putting them in front of Jack.

After taking Daniel's other sneaker off, Jack put the kid on the floor. "Try them on," he told Daniel.

With one hand on Jack's knee for balance, Daniel put his feet - one at a time - into the blue rainboots. They felt strange, and he looked up at Jack for his opinion.

"Now try walking in them," Jack instructed. He sighed when the thumb went back in Daniel's mouth; he was beginning to notice that Daniel did that when nervous about something. In this case, he was probably nervous about what Jack had done earlier - in other words, leaving him behind. "I'll be right here, I promise."

Reluctantly, Daniel stepped away from Jack and walked the short distance to the wall and back again. The tops of the boots kept hitting his legs, which he wasn't used to, but other than that, the boots felt okay.

"Do you like them?" Jack asked as he watched Daniel studiously stare at his feet while walking.

"Do they feel comfortable?" Bob asked immediately after.

"They hit me," Daniel stated to the salesman.

Bob nodded. "They're meant to be big so that you can wear snowpants with them," he said. "Do they hurt your toes? Show me where they are." He put his thumb on the end of one boot.

Daniel wriggled his toes to show the man where they were. "They don't hurt," he informed the man.

"They seem to be a good fit," Bob announced to Jack. "Would you like to try on any others?"

"No, these will be fine," Jack decided. If they fitted and Daniel liked them, then they would do. "We do need some fluffy slippers though."

"Of course." Bob handed the box for the blue boots to Jack, then headed off in search of some children's' slippers.

"Daniel, take those off and put them in here," Jack told the kid, holding out the box for Daniel to see.

"Okay." Daniel sat on the floor right next to Jack's feet and took the boots off. Then he stood them up in the box. "They don't fit!" he exclaimed, seeing that the lid wasn't going to go on.

"Yes, they do." Jack rearranged the boots and then put the lid on the box.

Bob came back with some fluffy slippers that seemed to be in the shape of animals. Daniel immediately saw ones that had monkey faces and pointed to them. "Those ones, Jack," he said, smiling at the funny-looking faces. He had seen monkeys in Egypt and thought they were funny animals. "Please," he remembered to add.

"Try them on first," Jack instructed him.

Still sitting on the floor, Daniel put the slippers on, then got up and walked over to the wall in them without being told to. He was so busy watching his feet that he ran head-first into the wall. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, rubbing the top of his head.

Jack had to smile at his brother's antics. "How do they feel, Daniel?"

"Good," Daniel said happily, walking quickly back to Jack. "Can we get these ones please?" he asked, looking pleadingly up at his older brother.

"Sure." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair; the kid looked cute in the monkey slippers. "Now, take them off so that we can buy them."

Daniel hurriedly obeyed, then put his sneakers on. "Jack?"

Jack lifted Daniel on the chair next to him before tying the shoelaces. "All ready?"

"Yep!" Daniel hopped down from the chair, almost bouncing with pleasure at getting slippers with monkey-faces on them.

Having organised the shoes, Jack took Daniel to the nearby toy store. Jack figured that he needed to keep the kid busy and out of his hair, so a few toys wouldn't go astray.

First, he led Daniel to the section with the bath toys, going down a number of aisles until to find it first. They finally found the bath toys, and Jack told his brother to pick out two; Jack only had limited money being a Captain, and couldn't afford too many toys, especially if Daniel wasn't going to be staying with him.

Daniel solemnly surveyed everything, amazed at the number of toys he could see. There were no such places like this in Egypt where he had lived, so this was an exciting - and slightly daunting - experience. There were so many toys to choose from!

Eventually, he had it narrowed down to three: a boat; a bright orange fish called 'Nemo' with a moving tail that could actually swim; and a man wearing diving gear. Daniel's eyes flicked between the three, unable to decide which two he wanted the most.

"Come on, Daniel," Jack urged, getting tired of waiting. How hard could it be?

"I can't decide," Daniel stated, still looking at his choices. The man would be good because he could go diving for lost treasures, but the fish looked pretty cool too.

"Can I help you?" a female voice said from behind the pair.

Jack turned to see a young blonde woman with clear blue eyes, obviously a shop assistant as she was wearing a uniform with the name 'Sara' on it. "Uh, Daniel's just trying to decide which toys he wants," he said, feeling a tug of attraction towards the woman. _Early twenties_, Jack decided, which was just the right age for dating.

Nodding in understanding, she crouched down beside Daniel and said, "Hi, I'm Sara."

"Hello," Daniel replied, putting his thumb in his mouth; here was another strange woman trying to be nice to him.

"So which ones do you like?" Sara asked, smiling at the cute little boy.

Daniel pointed to the three items so that he wouldn't have to take his thumb out of his mouth.

"Nemo, the ship and the diver?" Sara queried, making sure she had the right ones. When Daniel nodded, she continued, "So how many are you allowed to choose?"

"Two," Jack replied for his brother.

"I see," Sara said, looking briefly up at Jack then back at Daniel. "They're all pretty cool, aren't they?"

"What's 'cool' mean?" Daniel asked, the thumb briefly coming out of his mouth when he spoke.

Sara smiled at him. "It means really good," she explained.

Daniel mentally filed that word away for future use. "In that case, they're very cool," he decided.

"And it's pretty hard to choose between them, isn't it?" Sara received another nod. She leaned in conspiratorially and said in a loud whisper that Jack was meant to hear, "Do you think we could convince your dad to get all three?"

Daniel looked thoughtfully up at Jack for a long moment, then whispered to Sara, "He's not my daddy, he's my brother."

"Oh." _Possibly available then,_ Sara thought before turning her mind back to the matter at hand. "Well, do you think he would be nice enough to get all three for you?"

Jack rolled his eyes at being neatly manoeuvred into a corner; there was no way he could say 'no' now, especially not if he wanted to get a date with Sara.

This time, the look Daniel gave Jack was uncertain. He remembered the smack Jack had given him, and the way his brother wouldn't play with him, and he wasn't so sure that permission would be given to get an extra toy.

"No more tantrums?" Jack queried, his tone implying that there better not be or there would be no toys at all.

"Promise," Daniel agreed quickly, although he was embarrassed that Jack had mentioned 'tantrums' in front of the lady.

Resisting the look in those wide eyes was difficult, Jack decided as Daniel stared beseechingly up at him. "Just this once," he stated. What was an extra twenty bucks when it came to keeping Daniel busy - not to mention possibly getting himself a date?

Daniel quickly got the toys before Jack could change his mind, surprised that he was being allowed all of them. He had to hand one over to his brother, his little arms not big enough to hold all three boxes. "Thank you, Jack," he said, happy again.

"Do you need anything else?" Sara inquired, amused at the long-suffering look on Jack's face. She liked him but could tell that he wasn't used to dealing with children.

"I was thinking about some colouring books," Jack stated; after all, didn't all kids that age love to colour in pictures?

Daniel's eyes lit up at the mention of books. Sara saw this and led the two of them to the colouring book section. Daniel picked up the closest book and his face fell. "There's no words!" he exclaimed.

"That's because colouring books are meant for colouring," Jack told him - patiently, as Sara was nearby.

"Can I have books with words?" Daniel asked, dismissing the whole colouring concept; he liked to draw but had never 'coloured' in pictures in books such as these.

"I take it you like reading, Daniel?" Sara questioned, already going through the possibilities in her mind.

"Uh-huh." Daniel nodded his head as well.

"What about puzzles?"

"Yep." He did a lot of them in Egypt when he was helping his parents at the dig sites.

Sara grinned. "Follow me then." She led them down another aisle to the jigsaw puzzles. "Have you ever tried one of these?"

Daniel read the description on one of the boxes and then shook his head. "But I once put a broken bowl back together," he stated proudly. He didn't mention the fact that his father had helped him.

"Well, you're going to love these then," Sara enthused. She crouched down beside him and said, pointing to a number of boxes, "Those are the beginner ones, so you'd be best picking one of them to start with."

As Daniel stepped forward to choose a jigsaw, Sara stood up and moved back to Jack. "How smart is he?" she asked quietly.

"Pretty smart, I think," Jack replied, very aware of Sara's proximity. "He's only been with me for less than a day, so I don't really know, but he can read pretty well, and knows a couple of languages." If swear words in Arabic counted.

"He'll enjoy the puzzles then," Sara said, smiling at Jack, well aware of the impact it had on men.

"I'm sure he will," Jack responded with a smile. Then deciding to make the most of the opportunity, he asked, "Listen, I don't suppose you'd like to go out on a date?"

"I want this one, Jack," Daniel interrupted, pointing awkwardly - since he was carrying two other boxes - to a jigsaw of the Great Pyramids.

Seeing that the puzzle had five hundred pieces, Jack stated, "I think that might be a bit hard to start with, Daniel. How about something easier?"

"But I don't like any of them," Daniel complained. He wanted the one that he knew, that reminded him of home.

"Well, if you want a jigsaw, you're going to have to pick an easy one," Jack pointed out firmly.

Hearing the warning in Jack's tone, Daniel turned back to the puzzles and picked out a Mickey Mouse one with forty-two pieces. "That one," he said, pointing to it since he didn't have enough hands to actually get it.

Sara picked it up for him. "That's a good choice," she praised. "I love Mickey Mouse."

"Why?" Daniel queried; he had never heard of the character.

"I don't know, I just do," Sara replied. "You'll have to get your brother to get you some of his movies sometime."

"What's a movie?" came Daniel's next question.

Jack caught Sara's slightly puzzled look and explained, "He's been living in Egypt for the last couple of years."

Sara nodded, her expression clearing. "I'm sure your brother will be able to explain it to you," she said to Daniel, who was waiting patiently for his answer. "Do you like drawing?"

"Yes!" Daniel exclaimed.

They all went around to another aisle, where Sara helped Daniel choose a sketchpad and some crayons. Then they finally headed up to the front of the store to buy the items.

Jack quickly fished around in his wallet for a card with his phone number to give to Sara. "If you decide on 'yes', give me a call," he said, handing her the card.

"Thank you," Sara replied with a smile; she would definitely be calling him soon.

After Sara had left, Daniel looked up at Jack. "Why did you give that lady a piece of paper?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Jack stated, not wanting to explain dating to a four-year-old. Then he smiled to himself; things were looking up.


	8. More New Experiences

**Part 8 - More New Experiences**

After a trip to Kmart to get a small bookshelf, a little backpack, some bubblebath and a turtle soap-on-a-rope - and realising he could have got all of Daniel's things so far from there if he had thought about it earlier - Jack and Daniel took all their bags back to the car. The weather had turned colder - not surprising since it was nearly the end of November - so Jack removed the tags and tucked Daniel up into the new coat. Then, since it was nearly lunchtime, Jack took his little brother to the nearby McDonalds.

The place was very busy, so Jack picked Daniel up as soon as they were inside so that they didn't get separated. Daniel put his arms around Jack's neck as he looked around. There were lots of other kids about his age, most accompanied by their mothers, plus some older couples, and some men in suits. "What's this?" he asked Jack.

"This? This is McDonalds," Jack replied. "We're going to have lunch here." He went to the back of the shortest queue, his eyes on the menu. "What do you want to eat?"

"I don't know." Daniel had never been in a place such as this before.

"Oh that's right, you probably haven't even been in McDonalds before," Jack stated, remembering that everything today had been new to Daniel. "Well, for kids, there's a Happy Meal. You get some food, and a toy to play with."

"Why?"

"Because... You ever had a hamburger before?" Jack changed the subject. Daniel shook his head. "Cheeseburger? Chicken Nuggets?"

Daniel nodded his head at the last one. "We had nuggets for dinner the other night," he informed his older brother.

"Chicken Nuggets, it is then," Jack decided. He hefted Daniel up a little and continued to peruse the choices. Definitely not Pepsi to drink - there was no way he wanted a hyper Daniel for the afternoon.

The queue moved forward, giving them both a better look at the menu. "Oh, look," Jack said, pointing to one of the displays. "They've got 'Brother Bear' toys. Don't they look cool?"

"What's 'Brother Bear'?" Daniel inquired, looking at the display.

"It's a new movie about a bear," Jack explained, not really knowing that much about it.

"Is it like the Mickey Mouse movie?" came the next question.

Jack was kept occupied for the rest of the wait answering Daniel's questions about movies and cartoons. Finally, they were able to place their order - Jack deciding on a Big Mac, large fries, and a large Pepsi. They then carefully took their tray with the food on it over to a small table for two. Jack put the tray down, then put Daniel down onto one of the seats before sitting in the one opposite. "Eat up," he said.

Daniel opened his box and got the toy out. It was called a Denahi Transformer, and Daniel decided to investigate it further after he had eaten; he was hungry! He got his nuggets, fries and lemonade out, and put them in front of him. "Jack, what should I eat first?"

"Nuggets, definitely," Jack stated before taking a bite of his Big Mac.

Taking Jack's advice, Daniel started eating the nuggets. They were very good, he thought, and the four pieces disappeared quickly. Then he ate the fries one at a time after deciding that he liked them too. "Can we come here tomorrow?" he asked as he finished the fries.

"I'll be at work," Jack replied, swallowing the last of his drink. "And you'll be at the day-care centre."

"Where do you work?" Daniel asked, swinging his legs.

"Cheyenne Mountain."

Daniel tilted his head as he looked at Jack. "How can you work at a mountain?"

That explanation lasted until they got to the car again, Daniel asking questions about the military and NORAD, which was also based at the mountain. Once they got travelling, Daniel opened his little Happy Meal toy. It was a wolf that transformed into a boy when it stood up, and Daniel kept himself occupied with the toy for the entire trip to the day-care centre, absolutely fascinated that it could change from one thing into another.

Jack grinned to himself when he heard Daniel introduce the teddy bear to the new toy. A conversation followed, complete with different voices. The teddy bear had a deep voice - similar to Jack's voice because Daniel couldn't get it any lower - while the wolf had a growling quality to its' voice.

Then he realised that half of the conversation wasn't in English. Nor was it in Arabic, Jack noticed when he couldn't translate it. "Danny?"

"What?" Daniel looked up from playing with his toys.

"What language are you speaking?"

"I'm not speaking," Daniel stated with perfect logic. "Thoth and Denahi are."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Alright, what language was the bear speaking?"

"Egyptian."

"Why?" Jack had to know.

"Because he's the Egyptian god of wisdom," Daniel replied in a voice that implied that the reason should have been perfectly obvious. "Whereas Denahi has to speak English because he's from here."

"Of course," Jack said, wondering just how many languages Daniel could speak. "So what other languages do you know?"

"Mommy was just beginning to teach me Dutch," Daniel stated, swinging his legs eagerly. "And I learned Egyptian and Arabic on the digs. Daddy said I have a natural altitude with languages."

Jack had to agree; if Daniel could speak three languages already and was learning a fourth, he had to be very smart. "Natural aptitude," he corrected.

"Ap-ti-toode," Daniel echoed. Then, that sorted out, he went back to the conversation with his toys.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the day-care centre. Daniel grew quiet as he stared out of the car window; there were lots of children running around, playing, and that made him nervous. In Egypt, he had played with other children when he wasn't with his parents but that was different. They had been on the dig site though, not in a brightly-coloured building with strange structures outside, and he was a little scared about being in the new environment.

As Jack opened the car door for him, Daniel remained seated. "I don't wanna go," he pouted, putting his thumb in his mouth again.

Jack reached in, unbuckled the seatbelt, took Daniel's thumb out of his mouth, and then lifted his brother out of the car. "That thumb's going to be waterlogged soon," he commented as he closed the car door.

"What's waterlogged?" Daniel inquired as Jack took his hand and led him towards the building.

"When your skin is so wet, it's wrinkled like a prune," Jack explained patiently, taking everything in and threat-assessed the centre. There was a lot of play equipment, supervised by two adult women, plus a large sandpit which Jack figured Daniel would probably love after the deserts of Egypt. And on first glance, everyone looked friendly enough, but only time would tell whether Daniel would fit in.

Daniel looked at his thumb, searching for wrinkles. "I can't find any," he reported to his brother.

"Well, if you keep sticking it in your mouth, it will," Jack continued. "Just like if you take a long bath or go for a long swim."

Daniel resolved to test that theory during his next bath. "Is it perm'net? Is that why old people are wrinkled? Do they stay too long in the water?" he fired off the questions rapidly.

"Uh, no," Jack replied, opening the door and going inside. "It's not permanent, and it's different for old people."

"How?" Daniel asked, walking fast to keep up with his brother.

"I'll explain later," Jack said as a woman in her late thirties came towards them. "Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," the raven-haired woman replied, giving them both a smile. "My name is Alice. Can I help you?"

"I hope so. I'm Jack and this is Daniel. I work at Cheyenne Mountain, and I was told this centre provides day-care for personnel who work there," Jack explained.

"That's correct," Alice said, nodding. "We're open from eight till six, although most children don't stay here that long."

"Right." The hours were perfect, Jack thought, because it meant that he could leave Daniel at the centre all day while he was working.

Daniel tugged on Jack's hand, wanting his attention. When his brother looked down at him, Daniel tugged again, wanting Jack to come down to his level.

"What is it, Daniel?" Jack queried a little impatiently as he crouched down.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Daniel whispered, not wanting the lady to overhear.

"Why didn't you go at McDonald's?" Jack asked, thinking that would have been easier.

"I didn't need to go then," Daniel replied with perfect logic.

Jack sighed and then straightened up to face Alice. "Uh, I'm sorry about this but could we use your bathroom?"

"Sure." Alice's smile was both understanding and amused. "It's just down the back there," she said, pointing the way.

"Thanks." Jack allowed Daniel to pull him towards the boys bathroom. "Go for it," he said once they were inside.

Daniel rushed into one of the stalls and closed the door while Jack waited, tapping his foot somewhat impatiently. A couple of minutes later, Daniel came back out and washed his hands in one of the child-sized basins.

When Daniel had dried his hands, Jack led him back out to where Alice was waiting. "Sorry about that," he apologised to her.

"It's no problem," she stated. "It happens all the time. Let me show you around."

Jack and Daniel were taken on a tour of the centre, the little boy holding onto his brother's hand the whole time. There were plenty of activities, Jack noted, including a 'quiet room' for those who wanted to read or draw in peace.

"We have set activities each day for a few hours, and the rest of the time, the children are free to do what they wish to participate in," Alice explained as they came across a group of three-year-olds doing a singing activity. "We ask parents to send along a piece of fruit for morning snack, which is shared with the group, plus a drink and something for lunch. The centre provides the afternoon snack."

Jack nodded, thinking that sounded reasonable. "What about naps?" he asked.

Alice opened a nearby door. There were dozens of mattresses on the floor, covered with blankets, plus several cots. "This is the nap room. The younger children are put in here for an hour or so every afternoon while the older ones can either join them or spend some time in the quiet room."

Jack asked a few more questions, including whether it was safe to bring toys and books to the centre - yes to the first but the staff preferred that the second be left at home as the centre had plenty of books and they were more easily damaged than toys. Then Jack signed Daniel up for the next few weeks, explaining briefly to Alice that Daniel was only with him temporarily.

When Alice saw the different surnames on the form, she knew better than to pry even though she was curious. "So I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning," she said to Daniel.

Daniel nodded, not entirely happy with the situation; he wanted to stay with Jack just like he did with his parents.

"Say 'yes, ma'am'," Jack prompted.

"Yes, ma'am," Daniel echoed dutifully before leaning against Jack.

"He's shy," Jack explained apologetically to Alice.

"That's fine," Alice said, understanding completely. "It takes time to get used to a new place."

Goodbyes were said and Jack took Daniel out to the car. "You were very quiet," he commented. "Don't you like the place?"

Daniel shrugged. "It's okay," he said without any real enthusiasm. The quiet room had looked okay, as had the sandpit, but he wasn't too sure about the rest yet. He gathered Thoth to his chest and held on tightly.

"You'll love it," Jack promised as he got in the driver's side.

Not convinced, Daniel closed his eyes and let his head rest against the back seat; he was a little tired.

Within two minutes, he was sound asleep.

When they arrived home, Daniel was still sleeping so Jack carried him into the house. He took Daniel's coat, shoes, sweater and jeans off, and then put the kid to bed. Once that was done, he went back out to the car and brought in all their purchases, putting them on the double bed in Daniel's room for sorting out later.

After a final check to see that Daniel was sleeping soundly, Jack went into the living room, turned on the television and muted the sound, and then settled on the couch to watch some sport, worn out from the lengthy excursion.

Within minutes, he was asleep too.


	9. An Interesting Afternoon

For those wondering when the connection to the SGC would be made, this is the part g .

--------------------------------------------

**Part 9 - An Interesting Afternoon**

"Jack?"

"Hmm?"

"Jack!" Daniel put his hands on his brother's arm and shook it. "Wake up!"

"What?" Jack woke suddenly to find himself on the couch and Daniel standing nearby, staring at him. "Uh..."

"Can you open my jigsaw?" Daniel queried, holding the box out to him. He had woken a few minutes ago, got dressed again, and had crawled up onto the big bed to search the bags for the puzzle. While he had been there, he had found the monkey slippers and was now wearing them, tags still attached.

Jack stared back at Daniel for a moment, trying to wake up properly. Last thing he remembered, he had sat down to watch some sports. He glanced at the television; yep, it was on, showing some baseball game now instead of the hockey he'd wanted to watch. How long had he been asleep? "Sure, just... give me a minute."

"Okay." Daniel sat on the coffee table, box in his lap, and swung his legs while waiting impatiently for Jack to get himself together.

His gaze distracted by the swinging monkeys, it took a few seconds for Jack to realise just what Daniel was wearing. "Daniel, why are you wearing your coat inside?" Back-to-front, no less.

"It was on my bed," Daniel replied. "Mommy always puts my clothes on the bed when she wants me to wear them."

_Right_, Jack berated himself for not putting the coat away. "Well, you don't need the coat on inside, okay? It's warm in here."

"Okay," Daniel agreed; it wasn't very comfortable anyway. He had struggled to put it on earlier, and hadn't succeeded in doing it properly, hence why he had put it on the opposite way. He took it off and put it on the table beside him.

"How long have you been awake?" Jack queried, running a hand through his short hair and then looking at his watch. An hour; geez, he must have been worn out! Looking after Daniel appeared to be harder on his body than basic training.

"Not long. Are you awake now?" Daniel asked, legs still swinging as he eagerly awaited the opening of his puzzle.

"Ye--" The puzzle box abruptly landed in his lap. "Someone's eager," Jack commented as he examined the box.

Daniel didn't reply, just continued to bounce from the momentum of his swinging legs.

"I need a knife," Jack said, noting that the box was sealed so that the pieces couldn't go missing in transit. He got up and went into the kitchen to search for a sharp knife. It wasn't until he turned around and almost knocked Daniel down when he realised that the kid had followed him. "Sit," he ordered, pointing to a chair; the last thing he wanted was for Daniel to get injured with the knife.

Daniel obeyed, watching eagerly as Jack proceeded to open his puzzle; he couldn't wait to try it out.

Jack put the box on the table away from Daniel, then put the knife away and got out the scissors which he always kept on top of the fridge. "Just stay put for a moment," he said, kneeling down in front of Daniel to cut the tags off the slippers.

"What are they for?" Daniel asked curiously.

"So people know how much the slippers are," Jack explained as he cut the tags off. "And if you don't cut them off, then people think you stole them."

"And we didn't stole them, did we?" Daniel said happily, looking at his de-tagged slippers.

"No, we didn't steal them," Jack corrected the kid while agreeing with him. "Now, third rule - never ever use the knife or the scissors, okay? They can hurt you really badly."

Daniel nodded, agreeing. "Daddy says that too." Being on so many digs, Daniel had had that fact drummed into him at an early age, and as a result, kept well away from sharp objects.

"Good." That was one thing he hopefully didn't have to worry too much about then. "All right, let's see where we can put this," he said, picking up the box and checking the measurements. It had to be somewhere big enough to have all the pieces and where Daniel could spread out, but somewhere that wasn't going to be in the way. The only place Jack could think of was Daniel's bedroom - the living room was too small, and it would get in his way.

"In here," Daniel announced, running into the living room and bouncing in front of the coffee table. "Please!" he begged when he saw that Jack wasn't sure. "I'll be really good, and it won't get in your way."

"Hang on," Jack said, realising that Daniel was still in his jeans. "Go put on the sweats first - jeans are for wearing outside." And because Daniel only had the one pair of jeans, Jack had to make sure they lasted.

"And then I can do the jigsaw?"

"And then you can do the jigsaw," Jack agreed.

"Okay." Daniel ran into his room, took his jeans off and then realised he didn't know what sweats were, so he ran back into the living room. "Jack?"

"What?" A bubble of laughter rose in Jack's throat at seeing Daniel in sweater, underwear, and monkey-faced slippers.

"What are sweats?"

With a sigh, Jack followed Daniel back to the bedroom. He got out the only pair out of the wardrobe and handed them to Daniel, who then sat on the floor and put them on. Then the kid ran back into the living room. "Can I start now?"

"Sure."

The puzzle was eagerly snatched out of Jack's hands by the four-year-old, who then knelt down in front of the table and took the lid off. The box was then placed at one side of the table, and the lid - picture facing upwards - was put on the other side. Then Daniel delved into the box and started getting the pieces out.

Satisfied that Daniel was going to be busy for a while, Jack went to fetch the box with the bookshelf in it, then headed out to the garage to put it together.

When the phone rang fifteen minutes later, it startled Daniel; he had been concentrating very hard on his jigsaw. Once he recovered, he decided to answer it since Jack hadn't come back inside yet, not thinking that maybe he shouldn't. "Hello?"

There was a small silence on the other end, then a woman said, Uh, hello? Who is this?

"Daniel."

Uh, Daniel... is Jack there? The woman sounded very puzzled.

Daniel nodded, forgetting that the lady wouldn't be able to see him. "He's in the garage making me a bookshelf." He was very pleased that he was going to get a bookshelf all of his very own that he could put his books and artifacts on.

Do you think you would be able to get him for me? Tell him it's his grandma.

"I have a Grandpa Nick," Daniel shared, instinctively trusting the lady as she was Jack's grandma. "Do you know him?"

No, I don't, the woman replied.

"I only have one grandpa," Daniel continued, "and no grandma's because they've all gone away."

I'm sorry to hear that, Daniel. Could you get Jack for me please?

"Okay." Daniel put the phone on the table and was about to head outside when Jack came back in with the bookshelf. "Jack, your grandma's here," he said, retrieving the phone and holding it up.

"You answered the phone?" Jack queried as he automatically took the phone from the kid.

"It rang," Daniel told him, not understanding why it might be wrong. "Was that bad?"

"We'll talk about it later," Jack stated before taking a deep breath and putting the phone up to his ear. "Hi, Grandma."

Jack, is there something you want to tell me? Iris O'Neill inquired curiously.

"That was Daniel, my half-brother," Jack explained briefly, knowing he would get a full inquisition later. Ever since Claire had married Melburn and gone off to foreign lands, Iris had taken it upon herself to look after Jack since they lived only an hour apart. Sometimes Jack enjoyed it but the inquisitive part of his grandmother's nature drove him crazy.

Claire's little boy? came the query.

"That's right." Jack glanced down at the little boy who was staring up at him. "So, how have you been?" he asked, changing the subject.

There was a pause that indicated Iris wasn't done with the subject but she wasn't going to push it right now. We're fine. I'm just ringing to see if whether you're still coming up for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

Jack sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face; he'd totally forgotten about that. Could he still do that with Daniel in tow, having him in a car for an hour? But he couldn't ask his grandparents to come down here because the rest of the O'Neill brood was congregating in Denver. So... "Yeah, that's still fine. Is it okay to bring Daniel?" Since he had four days off for Thanksgiving, he figured that his grandparents could help him looked after the kid.

Of course, Iris replied with a smile in her voice. We'd love to meet him. Why is he staying with you anyway?

Jack hadn't gotten around to telling his grandparents about Claire's death yet, as he hadn't wanted to get his grandmother's hopes up that he would keep Daniel. "I'll explain everything on Thursday," he stated, well aware of little ears listening in. "We should get there around thirteen hundred hours."

A patient sigh sounded. You mean, one o'clock, I presume. That will be fine, but make sure you have plenty of time to get Daniel organised - children have a habit of taking much longer than you think to get ready. And have some good music to listen to in the car so that Daniel doesn't get bored.

"Yes, Grandma," Jack accepted the advice with the air of someone who had heard it all before.

Now let me speak with Daniel, she ordered.

Jack handed the phone back to Daniel and said, "She wants to talk to you."

With a grin, Daniel took the phone and held it up to his ear. "Hello, Jack's grandma."

Hello, Daniel. How would you like to come visit for Thanksgiving? Iris asked.

"What's Thanksgiving?" Daniel questioned, sitting down on the floor and making himself comfortable.

It's a special family dinner to celebrate when the pilgrims first arrived in America, she replied.

"There are lots of pilgrims in Egypt," Daniel informed her, drawing on his memories of the country. "Did they come here too?"

Iris chuckled with amusement. Some of them probably did, Daniel. But these pilgrims came here a long, long time ago from a country called England. Do you know where that is?

Daniel nodded wisely. "It's across the channel from France, which is near the Netherlands, which is up higher than Egypt," he recited, the speech having been learnt by heart.

That's right. She chuckled again.

"If you're Jack's grandma, does that mean that you're my grandma too?" Daniel inquired innocently.

Iris didn't even hesitate, obviously remembering Daniel's earlier statement. Yes, it does. You can call me Grandma Iris.

"Okay, Grandma Iris," Daniel said happily. Then he looked up to see Jack gesturing to him. "I think Jack wants the phone back. Bye, Grandma Iris."

Goodbye, Daniel. Iris waited for a minute until she judged that Jack would have the phone, and then said, He sounds adorable, Jack.

"Yeah, just great," Jack agreed with her, albeit with little enthusiasm. "We'll see you on Thursday then."

I can't wait, Iris replied, her enthusiasm more obvious.

They said their goodbyes and then Jack hung up. After he replaced the receiver, he sat on the couch and looked at Daniel, who stared up at him from his position on the floor.

"I like Grandma Iris," Daniel announced, a smile on his face.

"That's nice. But I need to talk to you about answering the phone," Jack stated, looking seriously at the kid. "If you hear it ringing, you should come and get me, not answer it yourself."

The smile faded somewhat as Daniel registered that Jack wasn't happy with him. "Why?"

"Because... sometimes the people on the other end aren't nice people," Jack replied, trying to think of a reason Daniel would understand and listen to.

"Then why do they want to talk to you?" Daniel asked reasonably.

Jack searched his mind for a way to explain prank callers and tele-marketers to the kid. "Uh, because they want to trick me into buying something that I don't want, or sometimes they just call for a joke, uh, a not-funny joke."

"Why?" Daniel tilted his head, not entirely understanding.

"Because that's the way some people are," Jack said in explanation. He ran a hand through his short hair, somewhat frustrated. "So do you promise me you will never answer the phone?"

Daniel nodded solemnly; it seemed to be very important to Jack that he agree. "I promise."

"Good." Jack rested his hand on Daniel's head for a moment, pleased to have the agreement.

"Can we put the bookshelf in my room?" Daniel asked, his face lighting up again as he changed the subject; he wanted to go and arrange it _now_.

"Sure, why not," Jack agreed. He watched Daniel run towards the bedroom - geez, the kid was a bundle of energy sometimes - and then sedately followed with the bookshelf.

"Over here," Daniel instructed, pointing to the foot of his bed. Since one side of his bed was right against the wall, it couldn't be within easy reach, but he figured that the end of the bed was the next best place. After Jack put the bookshelf down, Daniel made some small adjustments to its' placement, struggling a little bit - after all, it was almost his height. But finally he was satisfied, and he stood back to observe it.

"So what do you think?" Jack asked, watching the solemn expression on his little brother's face.

"I like it," Daniel announced, mentally putting his belongings on it. _Yep, it should be very good_, he thought. Running over to the bedside table, he took the books from it and then ran back to put them on one shelf. They only filled up a small space on the top shelf, which didn't look like much, so Daniel collected his pottery shards - which he had to get Jack to retrieve - and the Happy Meal toy, and put them on the same shelf. _That looks much better_, he thought, _like my daddy's bookshelves_.

"All done?" Jack asked, noticing how serious Daniel looked when studying his bookshelf.

"Yep!" Pleased with the way he had arranged things, Daniel stepped over and tugged on Jack's hand. When his brother obeyed the tug, Daniel wrapped his arms around Jack and hugged him. "Thank you," he said enthusiastically. Then he grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him out of the bedroom.

"Where are we going?" Jack queried as he was led through the house.

"Look at my puzzle," Daniel said proudly as they entered the living room again. He stood next to the table, a big smile on his face, and waited impatiently for Jack to say something nice about it.

Jack looked at the progress the kid had made. He did a quick count and saw that Daniel almost had the edges done already, which was nearly half the jigsaw; Jack was positive he couldn't have done that so quickly at Daniel's age. "Wow, you've got a lot done," he stated, giving the kid what he hoped was a suitably impressed look.

"It's easy," Daniel informed him authoritatively. "All you have to do is match the pieces to the picture and join them together. Do you want to try?"

"Uh... you'd better finish it first, then I might give it a try," Jack hedged, not wanting to be shown up by his little brother.

"Okay," Daniel accepted that easily. He plonked back down on the floor and started working on the puzzle again.

Deciding to leave Daniel to it, Jack went over to the corner table where his computer was set up with the intent of checking his email, which he hadn't done in a few days. He knew enough about computers to do that - and how to play games - but the rest confused him. He was aware that he was of the computer generation and therefore should know how to do everything but he just wasn't interested. Give him the Playstation any day!

Daniel put in four pieces before he became curious about what Jack was doing. His daddy had a computer that worked without electricity - which made it really handy on digs - but Daniel wasn't allowed to play with it. _Maybe Jack will let me_, he thought, deciding it was worth a try. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack answered absently, concentrating on the computer screen where his mail was about to appear.

"What are you doing?" Daniel stood up and wandered over to his brother. He leaned against Jack's leg as he stood on tiptoes and tried to see the computer screen.

"Reading my email." As Daniel's head bumped his arm, Jack shifted so that he could work unimpeded.

"Has Mommy sent me anything?" Daniel asked eagerly, knowing that his mother frequently sent Jack letters on the computer. He bounced up and down, wanting to see.

"Uh..." Jack pretended to check. "No, she hasn't," he stated after a few seconds.

Crestfallen for a moment, Daniel soon rallied, finding an excuse for his mother. "That's okay. She's prob'ly busy."

"Probably," Jack agreed, feeling bad for lying to his brother. He watched Daniel's thumb work its way into the small mouth and felt even worse; how long was he supposed to lie to the kid about his parents? "When I'm finished, do you want to do some stuff on the Net?"

Daniel brightened at the suggestion. "Can we look up Egypt?" He missed his home and wanted to see a reminder.

"Sure," Jack agreed; he only hoped that it didn't focus Daniel's attention on his absent parents again.

Satisfied that he would get to play with the computer and see the places he had been raised in, Daniel went back to his jigsaw. He was liking it very much - although he would have preferred the one with the pyramids on it - and it was challenging but not so much that he was getting frustrated.

When Jack called him a few minutes later, Daniel jumped up and ran over to his big brother's chair before climbing onto his lap. "Ready!" he announced enthusiastically, looking at the computer screen in anticipation while bouncing up and down as best as he could. "Pyramids!"

Jack called up a search page and then said to Daniel, "Do you want to type the word in?"

"Okay." Daniel studied the computer for a moment and then decided that the letters in front of him were to press down. Carefully, slowly, he pressed the keys that made up the words 'big pyramids', then stared at the screen. "Where are they?"

"Just a minute," Jack chuckled, moving the mouse and clicking on 'search'. When a list of sites came up, he quickly scanned through them and picked on that seemed to be about the Great Pyramids, and clicked on the address.

"What's you doing?" Daniel asked curiously.

"There are lots of, uh, pages that you can look at," Jack tried to explain, "but there's too many to look at them all so I had to pick one to start with."

A picture of the pyramids started to appear on the screen and Daniel started bouncing again. "I went there," he informed Jack, pointing to the pyramids, "but Daddy wouldn't let me climb them because it was too dang'rous and the stones were bigger than me and no-one's 'llowed to climb them in case they fall off and hurt themselfs."

"That's a very good reason," Jack noted.

"Archeol'gists think that they're only five thousand years old but Daddy says that can't be right because the Egyptians wouldn't have been able to design something that advanced then so they have to be older or someone helped them," Daniel parroted what he had learnt from his father. "He thinks that they're older and that Khufu had the insides changed to suit him when the older race of peoples had gone, and that's why the pyramids are so big but with tiny chambers inside them."

Jack mentally shook his head; Daniel could certainly string together some long sentences.

"And he says that the Sphinx is nearly ten thousand years old because it's rain 'roded, not wind 'roded, and there's been no big rains in Egypt since the Ice Age or the big Flood, but only the front half because the back half is only wind 'roded, so it was added on later," Daniel continued, happy to be imparting his knowledge to his big brother, whom he assumed was listening. "And it used to have the face of a lion but someone, prob'ly Khafre, Khufu's son, changed it to look like him but it doesn't really because it's got no nose 'cos someone chopped it off, and the pop-ortions of the face aren't right, but no-one really knows for sure."

"Do you always talk this much?" Jack asked curiously, amazed that such a little boy could store so much information in what seemed like one breath.

"Yep!" Daniel said with the pride of someone who has never been told that talking too much is bad. "Do you think the pyramids are older than everyone says?"

"I, uh, I don't know." Like many people, Jack had never really given it much thought.

"I do, and so does Mommy and Daddy, but some people were mean to them when they told them their theory. When I get bigger, I'm going to show those mean people that Mommy and Daddy were right, and then they'll have to 'pologise and be real sorry, and then I'm going to translate all sorts of writing, like the kind Daddy found on the last dig that kinda looked like hier'glyphs but they weren't and no-one knows what they mean."

Jack's ears pricked up; he wondered whether the writings were like some that had been found not too far from where the Doorway to Heaven had rested for thousands of years. The doorway - or so it was apparently called by the linguists who had translated the coverstone - was a large stone ring that resided twenty-eight levels down in Cheyenne Mountain, and it was part of the reason Jack had been transferred there. The scientists working there theorised that the ring could send people to other planets but no-one had been able to make it work yet. When they did, however, Jack's Special Ops background meant that he was likely to be on the team that went through. "Could you read them?"

Daniel shook his head. "I tried but they didn't make sense." It had been fun trying though, and he had wanted to go back and continue with it. "Mommy said she was just about to have a... a breakflew though."

Jack translated that to mean 'breakthrough'. Knowing his mother's love of languages, he didn't doubt that she would have been able to solve the language eventually. _Had the Air Force approached her to solve the writings on the ring's coverstone_, Jack wondered; she certainly hadn't mentioned anything like that in her emails. He might have to make some inquiries at the base tomorrow.

They spent forty-five minutes on the Net, Daniel eagerly imparting his knowledge of everything he saw, and if he didn't know anything about the picture, he would read all about it. Then he decided that he wanted to do some drawing so Daniel went to his room to fetch the sketchbook and crayons, and then came back to the living room to work.

Jack decided to catch up on some reading so he curled up on the couch, and the two of them spent a while doing their own quiet things.


	10. Poker Night

**Part 10 - Poker Night**

Dinner consisted of spaghetti bolonaise - the only dish Jack could competently make from scratch and which he realised too late was a very messy meal for a child - and chocolate ice-cream for dessert. After dinner, they watched 'The Simpsons' together... well, Jack watched while Daniel curled up with a book beside him.

Earlier, Daniel had proudly shown Jack his picture of the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx. The drawing was childlike but the subject matter was unmistakable, and Jack thought that for a kid Daniel's age, it wasn't half bad. Daniel had wanted to display it somewhere so Jack had stuck it up in the kid's bedroom; Daniel had been very pleased.

Now, it was an hour before his buddies arrived and Jack figured he ought to start getting Daniel moving. "Come on, kiddo, time for bed." He nudged Daniel's shoulder.

Daniel was about to protest when he remembered his new toys. "Bathtime!" he shouted virtually in Jack's ear. He jumped down from the couch before bounding down the hallway into his bedroom. By the time Jack had caught up with him, Daniel had gathered up his pyjamas and the three bath toys, still in their boxes. "Come on, Jack!" he urged his big brother as he ran into the bathroom.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Jack followed Daniel into the room and then started the bath running.

While he did that, Daniel plonked himself down in the middle of the room and tried to open the boxes. He got 'Nemo' out easily but then got stuck on the diver's box. "Jack, can you open this?" Daniel asked, holding the box out.

"What do you say?" Jack prompted, wincing mentally as he heard echoes of his mother in that question.

"Pleeease?" Daniel implored Jack.

"Okay." Jack took the box and opened it, getting the diver out and handing it to Daniel, receiving a 'thank you' in return. Then he opened the box with the ship as well before turning his attention back to the bath.

"Oh! I forgot the soap!" Daniel ran back to his room to get the soap-on-a-rope which Jack had said was especially for him so he didn't lose it. Daniel brought it back in just as Jack was shutting off the water. "I got it!"

"So you have." Jack, remembering the instructions from last night, tested the water with his elbow and found it to be just right. "Alright, it's ready."

Daniel did his best to quickly undress, occasionally getting stuck because of his rush, so Jack helped him out. Then Jack hoisted him into the bath before handing him the toys. Daniel immediately set the fish going, watching with delight as it 'swam' through the water. When it ran into the end of the bath, Daniel exclaimed, "He's found the lost city!"

"Lost city?" Jack echoed.

"Uh-huh." Daniel made the ship chug over to where Nemo was futilely trying to burrow through the wall of the bath. "It fell into the sea and now it's up to me and Daddy to find it." He made the diver jump off the ship into the water and then swim to the bottom of the bath.

Jack figured that 'Daddy' must be the diver. "Okay, you do that. I'm just gonna get something." He knew that he should supervise Daniel but if the bath was going to take a long time, then he wanted something to read. How much trouble could Daniel get into in two minutes anyway?

"Okay," Daniel said happily, reaching out to turn Nemo around to swim in the other direction. As Jack left the bathroom, Daniel, in game mode, made the diver come up for air. "I've found it!" he said in a deep voice that was supposed to imitate his father's. "Come and see."

"Okay, Daddy," Daniel replied in his normal voice. He shifted so that he was lying down in the bath and then put his face in the water to better see the 'lost city'. After a few seconds, he came up for air, then took a deep breath and put his face in the water again.

When Jack entered the bathroom, he couldn't see Daniel and his heart stopped beating for a second before it restarted, thumping loudly. He quickly moved forward and saw Daniel lying face down in the water. Fear settling in his stomach, he lifted his brother out of the bath, hoping that he wasn't too late.

"Ja-ack!" Daniel protested as he was lifted up, clutching the diver in one hand. "Put me down!"

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, realising he may have just overreacted.

"I was 'sploring the lost city," Daniel said, kicking his legs as Jack continued to hold him up in the air; he was getting cold. "Jack!"

"Sorry." Jack put Daniel back in the bath, his heart returning to its normal rhythm. "I didn't know." He had only been gone for a minute and he had come back to see Daniel face down in the bath; _it had been a reasonable reaction_, he told himself.

"'Sokay." Daniel looked solemnly at Jack, sensing that something wasn't right. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Jack looked into the big blue eyes and smiled weakly. "No. No, you didn't. I just... overreacted, that's all. Go back to your playing," he instructed. He had been lucky this time, Daniel was fine, but he would have to make sure that he didn't leave the kid unattended again because he would never forgive himself if something happened to his brother. And Jack was positive that his mother, wherever she was now, wouldn't forgive him either.

Daniel obeyed, happily playing for the remainder of his time in the bath. Jack pretended to read while surreptitiously watching his little brother playing, unaware that he had taken another step towards caring for Daniel.

When it came time for Daniel to wash himself, Jack put the soap on his brother's wrist. Daniel inspected it carefully and then used it enthusiastically. Watching him do that, Jack realised that he hadn't bought any shampoo for Daniel; should he use some of his own? Maybe just water would suffice for today, Jack decided since Daniel's hair was already wet, thinking that he could quickly go shopping tomorrow for some. "Wash your face," he ordered, handing Daniel the cloth.

Daniel handed the soap back and took the cloth, scrubbing vigorously. Bathtime was fun, even if Jack had pulled him out for no reason! He scrubbed behind his ears without prompting, and then handed the washcloth back.

Jack picked Daniel up and lifted him out of the bath onto the nearby mat. Then he helped Daniel to dry off, giving the hair a quick once-over to get rid of the moisture. After that, he let Daniel dress himself in the pyjamas while Jack removed the toys from the bath and then started the water draining.

A few minutes later, Daniel was tucked up in bed and Jack was sitting by his side, reading another story. This time, Daniel stayed awake for the whole book but he was yawning by the end of it. But he didn't want to go to sleep; he wanted to spend some more time with Jack. Despite the bad start to the day, the afternoon had been great fun, and Daniel - with a child's intuition - could sense that his big brother was starting to like him.

Jack closed the book and looked down at his brother, who was in the middle of a yawn. He smiled and said, "Goodnight, Daniel." As he got up from the bed, he heard Daniel say in a small voice, "Can you check for monsters, Jack?"

"There aren't any monsters," Jack replied, putting the book on the new shelf and then heading for the door.

"Please?"

Jack looked at his brother, who was curled up on one side, his big eyes pleading with Jack to check for monsters. A sudden flash of memory came to him: he was four years old and his father had yelled at him for no apparent reason only minutes before. Tremulously, he had asked his mother to make sure there was nothing scary hiding in his room. _Little kids are easily scared,_ Jack reminded himself. "Okay."

He looked under the bed and in the closet - two major hiding places for monsters, he remembered - and then declared the room monster-free.

"Thank you, Jack," Daniel said, smiling at him, trusting that the monsters were all gone for tonight. "Love you." He gazed expectantly at Jack.

Something in Jack's heart flipped over when he heard those words giving so easily and trustingly from the child. He had been so adamant yesterday that he wasn't going to let Daniel into his heart, but those words broke down another barrier. "Love you too, kiddo. Now get some sleep." He tried to make his voice gruff but didn't entirely succeed.

"Okay." Daniel curled up and closed his eyes, the smile still on his face.

Jack stared at him for a long moment then hurriedly left the room. He headed to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. Sitting down at the table, he took a long swig as he contemplated the consequences of coming to care for Daniel. He couldn't look after the kid - he didn't know how; plus, being a soldier meant that he wouldn't be around much to give Daniel the love he needed. No, Daniel would be best off living with someone else and soon, Jack decided, before either of them grew too attached.

"I'm out." Two hours later, Lou Ferretti threw his cards on the kitchen table and leaned back in his chair. "My luck's just not in tonight."

Jack grinned smugly; he was on a winning streak. "It has nothing to do with luck."

"Yeah, it's skill," Charlie Kawalsky said as he put some poker chips on the pile in the middle of the table. "I bet ten."

"I'm in," the fourth guy, Henry Boyd, stated.

"Me too." Jack threw two chips onto the pile. Then he became aware that Lou was looking at something past him so Jack turned his head in that direction. "Daniel?" he said, spying the kid in the doorway.

Dressed in his pyramid pyjamas, teddy tucked firmly under one arm, and right thumb in his mouth, Daniel surveyed the men warily. Everyone was now looking at him and he didn't like it.

"Daniel?" Jack prompted again, wondering what was going on; the kid was supposed to be asleep.

"Thoth is thirsty," Daniel stated, briefly taking his thumb out of his mouth.

"Hey, Jack, something you want to tell us?" Charlie joked, finding the situation amusing. His friend had never mentioned anything about a child.

Jack shook his head, not looking forward to the explanations later. "Daniel, just go back to bed. Thoth can wait until morning."

"But Thoth is thirsty," Daniel protested.

"I'll get it," Lou volunteered, having baby-sat his nephews and nieces before, and therefore being used to kids Daniel's age. He stood up and went over to the kid, crouching down in front of him. "My name's Lou. Is that Thoth?" he asked, looking at the teddy bear. When Daniel nodded, Lou continued, "How about I help you get Thoth a drink?"

Daniel stared at the man for a minute and, deciding that was okay, nodded.

"Would you like one too?" Lou asked, knowing what the transference to the teddy bear meant.

"Yes, please," Daniel said quietly. Everyone was still looking at him with amused expressions except for Jack, who was frowning at him. Worried that Jack was mad at him, Daniel stuck his thumb in his mouth again and started sucking on it, not caring about it getting waterlogged.

Lou picked Daniel up and put him on the bench near the sink. Then he proceeded to get two glasses from the cupboard and filled them with water. "So," he said to the kid, "does anyone call you Danny?"

"Uh-huh," Daniel said before he had a sip of water. "My mommy does."

"But no-one else?"

Daniel shook his head and continued to drink his water. After two mouthfuls, he peered over Lou's shoulder at the others. "What are they doing?" he whispered.

"Playing poker," Lou whispered back.

"What's poker?" Daniel inquired curiously.

"It's a game," Lou explained in simple terms, a smile on his face; the kid was so endearingly cute. When Daniel started to swing his legs, the heels of his feet hitting against the cupboard doors below, Lou put his hands on the small feet to halt them.

"It doesn't look like a game," Daniel commented, taking another look at it.

Lou grinned. "That's because it's an adult game."

"Oh." That explained why it looked strange.

When the water was almost gone, Daniel put the glass down on the bench. "We're finished," he announced quietly to Lou, seeing that the others were playing their game.

"Thoth is finished too?" Lou asked, making sure.

"Yep." Daniel gave Lou a shy smile; he liked this man. "Thank you very much," he said.

Lou had to smile too; someone had taught the kid good manners. "You're very welcome. Do you want me to take you back to bed?"

"No, thank you," Daniel stated. He held his arms out for Lou to pick him up.

Lou set Daniel on the floor before following the kid as he toddled out of the kitchen and down the hallway into his bedroom. Then he returned to his seat at the kitchen table, certain that Daniel wouldn't hear the upcoming discussion. "Cute kid, Jack. Yours?"

"My half-brother," Jack explained curtly, frowning at the hand of cards he held before looking over at Henry. "How much was the bet again?"

"Twenty," Henry replied. "You in or out?"

Jack took another look at his cards. "In." He put some chips on the pile.

"So how come he's here?" Charlie said, continuing on Lou's line of questioning.

"Who?" Jack was concentrating on the game and had put everything else out of his mind.

"Daniel," Lou prompted, shaking his head. He knew enough about Jack's parents to know that they had divorced a long time ago, but since his friend was very tight-lipped about the past, that was all he knew.

"Oh, right. His parents died a few days ago, and until social services can find Grandpa Nick, I'm stuck with him," Jack said succinctly, trying not to think about it too much.

Lou frowned at him and crossed his arms; for Daniel's parents to have died, that meant that one of Jack's had as well. But he had been friends with Jack for a long time so he knew better than to continued with that subject. And what was with_ 'stuck with him_'? "Don't you want him here? He seems like a great kid."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed, throwing down his cards after deciding the pot was too rich for him.

"Do you guys have any idea just how much work a kid entails?" Jack said in frustration, thinking about the day he'd just had. "With our jobs, can you really see me being able to raise Daniel? Besides," he added, "I'm not ready for a family."

The other men exchanged glances; they all knew about Jack's penchant for playing the field. "Maybe it's time to settle down," Charlie suggested.

Jack threw down his cards, annoyed at his friends for even suggesting that. "Are you kidding? That's the last thing I want right now." Although a little tiny part of him thought - _what if?_ _A wife, a couple of kids..._ _No, he didn't want that!_ "I'd have to stay home and look after him every night, and entertain him..." he added, talking more to himself than to his friends.

The three other men exchanged glances, all of them thinking that Jack had protested just a little too much. But none of them said anything as Jack turned the subject back to cards, not wanting to push the subject.

Fortunately, Daniel hadn't heard a word of the conversation as he was snuggled up in bed, content in the belief that Jack was beginning to like him even if his brother didn't always show it.

Later, after eleven o'clock, Jack's friends went home as they all had to work the next day. Jack, before he went to bed, checked in on Daniel, who was sleeping soundly. Then he went to bed but didn't get to sleep for a long time, thinking about Charlie's 'settling down' comment and Daniel's 'I love you.'

He fell asleep before anything was resolved in his mind.


	11. First Day at DayCare

Thank you for all the reviews so far – they have been very encouraging! I hope you all continue to enjoy Jack's attempts to raise his brother, and Daniel's cuteness g .

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**Part 11 - First Day at Day-Care**

**Tuesday, 25th November**

The next morning, Jack woke at 0630 and was mildly surprised not to find Daniel in bed with him. That was good though, he reminded himself; he didn't want Daniel to get into the habit of sleeping in his bed.

Since he was wide awake - years of military training - he went to the bathroom and had a shower before finally going to check on Daniel.

The little boy was sprawled on his back, still sleeping soundly. Thoth was loosely tucked under Daniel's right arm and held against the small body.

Jack watched Daniel sleep for a minute, thinking about how peaceful the kid looked, and then shook his head to snap out of it; he had to get ready for work and his brother off to day-care. "Daniel, wake up."

There was no movement from the sleeping child. "Daniel!" Jack said more loudly.

This time Daniel stirred, and his eyelids fluttered as consciousness beckoned. "Daddy?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Not exactly," Jack replied, feeling a prick in his conscience; he really needed to tell Daniel about his parents soon. "Come on, rise and shine."

Daniel half-opened his eyes and stared up at his brother. "Sleeping," he protested.

"Well, you've got to get up because I have to go to work," Jack informed him in a firm voice.

"No day-care," Daniel said mutinously, pulling to cover up over his head.

Jack impatiently pulled the cover down again. "Yes, day-care, and I'm not going to argue with you about this." He got Daniel's slippers and dressing gown, and by the time he got back to the bed, the little boy was hiding again. "If I have to get you out of there, you'll get a smack," Jack threatened.

Slowly, with a pout of his face, Daniel reappeared from under the covers. "I don't wanna go."

"Well, there's no alternative," Jack told him, helping Daniel put the dressing gown on and then the slippers. When Daniel made no move to leave the bed, Jack picked him up and carried him to the kitchen. There, he sat Daniel in a chair before getting two bowls of Fruit Loops for their breakfast.

Daniel contemplated the cereal for a minute, wanting to protest Jack's meanness, but he decided that he was too hungry to do that. Plus, he didn't want to get Jack mad at him, even though he really didn't want to go to the centre. So he ate his breakfast quietly, his legs swinging most of the time. Then, when he had finished, he went off to the bathroom without being prompted.

Jack followed a few minutes later after putting the dishes in the sink. Remembering what Daniel had said about the clothes, he chose an outfit for his brother to wear. There was no way Daniel was going to be fashionable given the options but Jack hoped that his choices would help Daniel avoid being picked on.

When Daniel came in, still subdued, Jack crouched down in front of him. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey," Daniel echoed, lifting his eyes briefly to Jack's before looking at the floor again.

"You really don't want to go today, do you?" Jack queried, kind of at a loss at how to deal with this. He didn't want Daniel to throw a tantrum or anything that was going to make him late for work, so he figured that talking was probably the best solution. And if that didn't work, he would just pick Daniel up and carry him.

"No," Daniel replied in a small voice. He was scared about going to a new place on his own without someone he trusted to look after him. He looked up at Jack, a pleading expression on his face. "Can I stay with you? I promise I'll be good and not get in the way and I won't get lost and--"

"Daniel, you can't come to work with me," Jack stated firmly but not unkindly. "It's a military base; they don't like children being there. Remember, we already discussed this."

Big blue eyes filled with tears as Daniel's face crumpled. "I want my Mommy," he said as he started to cry; he knew she would let him go to work with her.

Jack groaned as the tears fell; what should he do now? Maybe... "Uh, well, you know Mommy would be very proud of you if you went to day-care. She would think you're very brave," he added, hoping that was the right thing to say.

Daniel sniffed loudly a couple of times and then looked at Jack, not quite sure whether to believe him. "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Jack confirmed.

Daniel considered that; he did want his mommy to be proud of him. "You'll tell her I was brave?" he asked for extra confirmation.

"I promise," Jack lied without hesitation. "Now you'd better get ready or we'll be late."

"Okay," Daniel agreed, still sniffling.

Relieved that the crisis was averted, Jack left the bedroom to continue getting ready.

Some time later, when Daniel was putting on his sneakers, Jack noticed the furry bundle lying on the floor nearby. Remembering what the day-care worker had said about toys, Jack said, "Daniel, you can't take Thoth with you."

"Why not?" Daniel never went anywhere without his teddy bear.

"Because there's plenty of toys for you to play with at the centre," Jack replied, bobbing down to tie his brother's shoelaces.

"But I want to take Thoth," Daniel protested, reaching out for the toy and hugging it to his chest.

"I know you do, but I think he'll be safer here," Jack responded firmly.

"But--"

"No 'buts'," Jack ordered. He tied the second set of laces and then looked at Daniel, who was busy pouting. "You want Thoth to be safe, don't you?"

Daniel nodded solemnly as a thumb slowly made its way into his mouth.

"Well, then he should stay here," Jack tried to make his brother see reason. "Besides, if you take Thoth today, then the wolf will get lonely."

"Denahi's brave like me," Daniel pointed out, one arm still firmly around his teddy bear.

"I know he is. But he's not going to have anyone to talk to all day," Jack said, not quite believing he was giving the toys sentience to win this semi-argument. Oy, the things he had to do to kept one kid reasonably happy!

Daniel thought about that. He didn't want to leave Thoth home but Jack did have a point. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly, and headed off to his room. He put Thoth on the bed near the bookshelf and then went back out to Jack, muttering to himself.

Jack heard the muttering and listened hard to work out the words: 'I will be brave, I will be brave.' Placing a sympathetic hand on Daniel's head, he said, "Come on, kiddo, let's go." He helped Daniel put his new coat on, and then handed his brother the 'Nemo' backpack with lunch and snacks in it. And finally, Daniel was ready to set off on his big adventure.

At the centre, Jack led a nervous Daniel into the building where they were met by Alice, the woman who had showed them around the previous day. Jack gave her a list of Daniel's allergies and the morning snack, and then crouched down in front of his little brother. "I have to go now so you be good and behave, okay?"

Daniel nodded. "I'm brave," he said, wanting Jack to be proud of him too.

"I know you are," Jack stated, ruffling Daniel's hair. "Now I should be back around sixteen hundred hours, uh, I mean four o'clock," he corrected himself, remembering that Daniel wouldn't have a clue about military time.

"Okay," Daniel replied.

"Good boy." Jack smiled at his little brother. "Have fun, and I'll see you soon." He stood up and left the centre, looking back once and waving.

Daniel waved back, fighting the urge to run after Jack. He was a big boy; he could do this.

"Come on, Daniel, let's put your backpack with the others," Alice said, holding her hand out for the little boy to take.

Quietly, Daniel held her hand and let her lead him over to the wall of coat hooks. The hooks were at child height, and only a few were presently filled.

"This is yours," Alice said, showing him a hook that had the name 'Daniel' above it. "Just put your backpack here, and then we'll get you settled in."

Daniel obeyed, putting his 'Nemo' backpack on the hook. Then, when she asked him what he wanted to do, Daniel replied, "Read." He didn't want to socialise with the other children yet, not until the strangeness of this new place wore off.

"Are you sure you don't want to play outside?" Alice asked.

Daniel nodded; he wanted to read.

"Okay." Alice helped Daniel with his coat and hung it up over the backpack. Then, deciding that the quiet room might be the best place to ease Daniel in, she led him there. Inside was a girl about Daniel's age, colouring at one of the tables. "Cassie, this is Daniel. Can you show him where everything is?"

Cassie looked up, her long wavy brown hair framing her face. "Hi, Daniel. You like colouring?"

"I don't know," Daniel admitted.

"Try it," she said, beckoning him over. When Daniel shyly approached, she put a colouring book in front of the nearest chair and generously gave him half of her crayons. "Come on, it's fun!"

Daniel sat down in the indicated chair and looked at the book in front of him. It was just like the colouring book he had refused yesterday except it had a few words down the bottom of the pages. One picture was of a lion, the other of someone called Tarzan.

When Cassie saw his hesitation, she said, "Just pick one and colour it in. See?" She showed him the one she was currently doing - a multi-coloured bear.

Deciding that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, Daniel picked out an orange-brown crayon and started colouring the lion in.

"I'm four," Cassie announced as she coloured. "How old are you?"

"Four," Daniel replied.

"Do you have a brother or sister?" Cassie asked next; she was a naturally curious child.

Daniel nodded, his tongue slightly poking out between his lips as he concentrated on colouring in without going outside the lines. "Jack's my brother. He's much bigger than me," he said proudly.

"I don't have any," Cassie informed him. "I'm 'dopted."

"What's 'dopted?" Daniel asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"It means my mommy and daddy aren't my real mommy and daddy, and my birth mommy couldn't keep me so she gave me to my mommy and daddy," Cassie explained in one breath. "'Cept my daddy doesn't live with us anymore."

"Why not?" Daniel thought it was sad that Cassie didn't have a daddy living with her.

Cassie shrugged. "Don't know. Mommy just says that they weren't 'patible anymore."

"My mommy and daddy are archaeol'gists," Daniel shared. "They had to go on a long trip so Jack's looking after me." He swapped to a brown crayon to do the lion's mane.

"Cool!" Cassie exclaimed, wishing she had a big brother too. Or maybe a big sister, she didn't mind which.

The door opened then and a dark-haired boy with glasses entered the room. A woman Daniel hadn't seen before followed him in and then sat in an adult-sized chair in the corner of the room to supervise. "Hi, Cassie!" the boy called, running over to the table.

"Hi, Robert!" Cassie made room for her friend at the table. "This is Daniel."

"Hi, Daniel!" Robert sat down at the table and picked up a colouring book.

"Robert's daddy is a sign-tist at Chey'nne Mountain," Cassie continued. "My mommy's a doctor. What's Jack?"

"Who's Jack?" Robert queried.

"Daniel's big brother," Cassie explained authoritatively.

Having asked Jack all about his job, Daniel was able to explain that his brother was in the Air Force and flew planes. The other two were very impressed by that and wanted to know if Daniel had been flying with him. Daniel had to say no, he hadn't been staying with Jack that long yet.

They coloured for some time, chatting away about nothing in particular, until Cassie decided that it was time for another activity. Not taking no for an answer, she led the boys out to the playground. Daniel stood back and just observed for a while until he was confident enough to try things for himself. Going down the slide made his tummy feel funny but he enjoyed it so he did it over and over again. Soon, he was laughing along with the others.

The swings were equally as fun, he discovered, and the three had a competition to see who could swing the highest.

They had progressed to the sandpit, where Daniel was teaching his new friends how to 'ex-ki-vate arty-facts', when more children arrived, Adam among them.

When Adam saw Daniel playing with Robert, whom he didn't like, he immediately went over to the sandpit and took up an aggressive stance. "Whatcha doing here?"

"Go away, Adam," Cassie said, sick of the bully always being mean. "We were here first."

Adam ignored her and glared at Daniel. "Well, baby?"

Daniel bristled at the insult. "I'm not a baby," he denied indignantly.

"Only babies hide behind their daddy," Adam continued meanly.

Daniel stood and put his hands on his hips, glaring at the bully. "I wasn't hiding. And Jack's not my daddy, he's my brother."

"Is not," Adam argued.

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

The sound of a bell interrupted the argument before it could end in blows. Cassie grabbed Daniel's hand and, with Robert following, went over to where children were lining up to go inside.

The four-year-old group had an hour of singing and games before morning snack time, and then they were allowed to play outside again for half an hour. Before lunch, they did painting, which Daniel enjoyed immensely.

It wasn't until Daniel and his friends were playing outside after lunch that Adam tried to pick a fight again, his own friends in tow.

"How come your brother was shopping with you?" he asked aggressively.

"Cos," Daniel replied shortly.

"Don't your parents want you?" Adam said, aiming to hurt.

"Course they want me!" Daniel shot back. "But they had to go on a long trip where children can't go."

"That just means that they don't want you," Adam insulted him.

"They do too!" Daniel was very secure in this knowledge, even though his parents hadn't told him that they were leaving. "You're just jealous," he accused; his daddy had always said mean people were that way because they were jealous and unhappy.

"Am not!" Adam denied, stung by the accusation in front of his friends. He lashed out and pushed Daniel to the ground.

Surprised more than hurt, Daniel stared up at his attacker with wide eyes; no-one had deliberately done that to him before.

"Adam!" Alice had seen the incident and came striding over to the group.

"He was being mean!" Adam immediately tried to put the blame on Daniel.

"He was not!" Cassie defended Daniel, hands on hips and green eyes glaring at Adam. "You're the mean one."

Alice knew from experience and observation that Cassie was the one telling the truth. She crouched down in front of Daniel and helped him to stand up. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Uh-huh." He had a sore bottom but other than that, he was fine.

"Good. Can you tell me what happened?"

Daniel nodded and told Alice what Adam had said; Cassie and Robert added bits to the narrative. Afterwards, Alice took Adam to the time-out room, and Adam's friends went to play elsewhere.

The incident was soon forgotten by Daniel as he continued to play with his friends. They went back to the quiet room for a while; Daniel read silently as the other two coloured. Then, when they got curious, Daniel read to them, showing them the easy words.

The afternoon snack came next, and then the children tried their hand at clay sculptures, wearing aprons to ensure they didn't get their clothes too dirty.

Children started being picked up by parents after three o'clock - fortunately for Daniel, Adam was one of those that left. Soon only a handful of children remained and they had to play indoors as it had started to rain. But there was plenty of things to do, and Daniel didn't even watch the clock to see when Jack was coming to fetch him.


	12. Cheyenne Moutain and then home again

**Part 12 - Cheyenne Mountain and then home again**

After Jack dropped Daniel off at day-care, he headed straight for Cheyenne Mountain, the military base he was attached to in Colorado Springs. He checked in at the entrance, and then headed to the locker room where he met up with Lou.

"How's Daniel this morning?" Lou asked after he had said hello.

"He's fine," Jack replied, getting his uniform out of his locker. "I just dropped him off at day-care."

"When are you going to tell him about his parents?" Lou queried, sitting down on the nearby bench to put his boots on.

"Soon," Jack stated evasively; he hated being forced into things.

"Good." Lou knew better than to push any further. "Listen, if you need a babysitter, just give me a call. I'd be happy to look after Daniel." The little kid had intrigued him last night.

"Thanks, Lou, I'll keep it in mind," Jack said casually, although privately he was pleased not to have to look for a babysitter. That made his mind turn to Sara - she hadn't rung last night. Was that because she didn't want to seem too eager or because she hadn't been all that interested to start with?

"Earth to Jack." Lou waved a hand in front of Jack's face when the latter frowned for no apparent reason.

"What? Oh, sorry." Jack brought his attention back to where it should be. "You were saying?"

Lou gave Jack a grin and patted his shoulder. "Never mind, old man. I'll catch you later - got something to give you."

"Yeah, okay." Putting it out of his mind for the moment, Jack finished getting dressed a few minutes later and then went to find his CO to get today's orders.

Several hours later, just after lunch in the commissary, Jack got the change to visit General George Hammond, commanding officer of Cheyenne Mountain. Hammond was several inches shorted than Jack, balding and heavily built, and over the time Jack had served under him, had become known for his fair but stern manner in dealing with those under his command. The general would always listen to any reasonable complaint or request, which was why Jack was going to see him.

"Come in," Hammond called when Jack knocked on the door. "Ah, Captain O'Neill. At ease. What can I do for you? Is your brother settling in alright?" He had been fully apprised of the reason the younger man had taken Monday off.

"He's doing fine, sir, thank you," Jack replied, standing at informal attention in front of the desk. "I was just wondering if the Air Force had approached my mother, Doctor Claire Jackson, about translating the artifact?"

Hammond shook his head. "No, we hadn't but we were planning to while she was in the States. I understand she was somewhat of an expert in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and in deciphering new languages."

Jack swallowed hard and managed to keep his face impassive at the use of the past tenses regarding his mother. "Yes, sir."

Being a master of body language, Hammond could see that O'Neill had tensed up. "Do you require any further downtime, Captain?" He wasn't unsympathetic to the loss of a parent.

Snapping to attention, refusing to look weak, Jack said proudly, "No, sir."

"Then carry on. Dismissed." George watched O'Neill salute him and walk out of the officer, head held high. He shook his own head; he hated what Special Ops did to young soldiers. It required so much denial of emotions, of hiding them or holding them in, for George's comfort. He just hoped that O'Neill would be able to find some way past that to relate to his grieving orphaned brother.

Jack went down to the gym and worked off his feelings on the punching bag. Life was so unfair; his mother should be here translating, instead of lying in the ground, dead! She should be taking care of Daniel, not him! It just wasn't right!

Jack gave the bag one more punch and then turned away, ready to leave the gym. As he did so, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry, sir." 1st Lieutenant Samantha Carter apologised, smiling nervously at Jack. She had seen him around the base, although had never spoken to him before, and had a crush on him.

"No, it was my fault," Jack excused her, going into automatic flirt-mode when he saw the attractive young woman. "I haven't seen you around much. New?"

Pleased that he had noticed her, Sam told him, "Yes, sir, just posted here two weeks ago."

Jack nodded, smiling. "A scientist, right?" He knew that there had been an influx of scientists recently to work on the strange 'Doorway to Heaven' and the stone circle.

"Theoretical astrophysicist, actually," Sam replied proudly. She was very good at her job and she knew it. However, there was the slight ego-denting problem of not being able to get the 'Doorway' working but she was sure that with time, she would.

"Right." Jack's opinion of her went down a notch but not enough to lose interest. "We'll have to do lunch sometime..." he fished for a name.

"Lieutenant Carter, sir," Sam stated, pleased that he was asking.

"Carter," Jack echoed with a smile. Then he nodded and walked away, heading for Lou who had just entered the gym.

Sam grinned, almost dizzy with happiness. She practically had a date with him! Granted it was only lunch but who knew where that could lead! A spring in her step, she continued on her way.

"And there goes another one, fallen under the O'Neill charm," Lou announced as Jack drew closer.

"Shut up, Ferretti," Jack growled, his earlier frustration returning.

Lou stared at his friend, wondering at the strange attitude. "What's up?"

"Nothing's up," Jack replied, berating himself for letting his frustration show. He was Special Ops; he should be able to put his emotions aside.

"Uh-huh." Lou didn't believe that for a second. The death of a parent would knock anyone for six. "Jack--"

Having a feeling about what Lou was going to say, Jack interrupted. "So what do you want to give me?"

Lou accepted the change of topic with a shake of his head but answered anyway. "Some videos. I figured Daniel might not have a lot of stuff with him, and kids can be hard to entertain."

"Oh, tell me about it," Jack groaned even though he hadn't really had that problem yet. Some of his frustration drained away at Lou's thoughtful act. "He doesn't seem to be interested in TV, and hasn't even seen a movie, but I'll give them a try anyway. Thank, Lou."

"No problem," Lou shrugged it off. "My sister's kids have so many videos, they won't miss a few." He chuckled - his sister had said that to him earlier when he had dropped in at her house.

"Yeah," Jack agreed half-heartedly, thinking about whether Nick would let Daniel have normal toys and videos like other kids. A small doubt crept into his mind - would Nick be any more suitable as a parent to Daniel than him? Nick was old, wrapped up in his work, and hadn't been much of a grandparent when Jack was little. Would he be doing the right thing in letting Nick take Daniel? Or should he try to find a loving couple to take the kid in, maybe provide him with brothers and sisters?

Lou saw that Jack was thinking again and lightly punched his friend's shoulder. "Hey, we'd better get moving. Someone needs to teach the Marines how to shoot," he joked.

Jack pulled himself out of his thoughts and followed Lou out of the gym. He would have more time to work things out later.

At 1600 hours, Jack checked out and headed to the day-care centre. He had to run inside as it was raining, and as he entered, he saw Daniel playing happily with a couple of other kids. Before he could go over and get him though, Alice came over to greet him. "How did he go?" Jack asked.

"Daniel has made some friends, as you can see," Alice stated, glancing over her shoulder at the little boy. "However, there was one incident after lunch with another boy."

Jack was immediately concerned. "What happened? Is he okay?" He looked over at Daniel to see if there were any obvious injuries.

"They had a bit of an argument and Adam pushed Daniel over but he wasn't hurt," Alice reported.

_Thank goodness_, Jack thought; the last thing he needed was for Daniel to hate day-care because of an injury. And, of course, he was pleased that Daniel wasn't hurt.

"Jack!" Daniel finally spotted his brother and ran over to him. "Come see what I did!" He grabbed Jack's hand and dragged him over to the tables where the paintings and clay objects were displayed.

"I did this one," he said proudly, pointing to the painting with mountains, two palm trees and a river. Then Daniel pointed to a childish attempt at a clay sphinx. "And then we used clay just like the Ancient Egyptians did, 'cept I have to leave this here 'cos it's not set yet 'cos they don't use a kiln. Did I do good?" Daniel looked up at Jack expectantly.

"You did very good," Jack praised, comparing Daniel's work to the others he could see. Definitely some talent there, he decided.

"And I did some colouring, and I played on the slide and in the sandpit, and I taught Cassie and Robert how to read, they're my friends," Daniel continued, buoyed by the praise.

Jack looked over at the two children Daniel had been playing with and guessed that they were the new friends. "That's great, kiddo." He was relieved that Daniel had fitted in so easily. "You ready to go home now?"

"In a minute. I have to say bye first." Daniel handed his painting to Jack and then ran over to his friends.

Jack collected Daniel's backpack and coat, then waited patiently near the front door as Daniel said his goodbyes. Daniel joined him soon afterwards, still enthusiastic but starting to tire, Jack noticed as he helped his brother put the coat on.

After Jack had settled him into the car, Daniel told him about his day in more detail, although he left out the incident with Adam. When Daniel's voice faded into silence, Jack looked in the rear-view mirror and saw that the kid had fallen asleep. "Someone missed their nap," Jack murmured as he drove to the nearest shopping centre.

Deciding that he really shouldn't leave Daniel in the car alone, Jack shook his brother awake. When it was clear that Daniel was still tired, Jack picked him up and carried him into the convenience store. He picked out some shampoo specially designed for children - and some Band-Aids for minor cuts, just in case - and then quickly went to the food store to get some proper chocolate-flavoured milk. All the time, he had to keep shifting Daniel from arm to arm when the little boy got too heavy.

A third stop - by which time Jack was wishing that Daniel would wake up properly so that the kid didn't have to be carried - was at a clothes shop, and Jack got another pair of jeans to alternate with the pair Daniel was currently wearing. Finally, Jack put the sleepy boy back in the car and drove home.

Inside the house, Jack lay Daniel on the couch and divested him of his glasses, coat and shoes. Then Jack went back to the car to ring the shopping and Daniel's painting inside.

After putting everything away - the painting he left on the kitchen table - he swapped Daniel's jeans for the sweats and headed into the laundry to do some washing. It had been a week since he had done his own clothes, and since Daniel's jeans were sandy, Jack figured that he shouldn't put the laundry off any longer. He gathered Daniel's dirty clothes and checked the labels on them before setting a load of washing going.

During the next half hour, in between the loads of washing, Jack checked his mail - a phone bill - and his phone messages - one from Iris telling him to bring a bathing suit. Jack wondered briefly why his grandmother was planning to go swimming in November before turning his thoughts to Sara. He was disappointed that she hadn't rung but excused her on the grounds that she mightn't be able to ring while at work. He wasn't sure why he was disappointed; Sara was just one of many girls he had asked out.

"Jack!" Daniel called after he woke up. He rubbed his eyes and then looked around for his brother. As he did so, he noticed that his jeans had magically turned into the sweats. Daniel marvelled at that for a moment and then jumped off the couch to go find his big brother. "Jack!" he yelled again, retrieving his glasses from the nearby table.

"Here!" Jack called back, stepping out into the hallway. He had just started the first load in the dryer.

"What are you doing?" Daniel inquired as he came to a halt in front of Jack.

"Laundry." Jack's hand automatically reached out and smoothed Daniel's messy hair.

Daniel beamed up at Jack, eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "Can I help? Mommy always let me fold things, and she says I'm a big help!" He bounced on his toes in anticipation. "And sometimes I helped the women wash clothes but that was tricky. So can I help?"

"Why not?" Jack accepted the offer. "But first, put your slippers on."

"And can we put my painting up?" Daniel pleaded. "Please?" At Jack's nod, he sped off to his bedroom, put his slippers on, then ran around the house to find his painting. He found it in the kitchen and, still bouncing, he yelled, "Here, Jack!"

Following his little brother into the kitchen, Jack asked, "Do you want it in your room?"

"Cassie says that pictures go on the fridge," Daniel said, parroting what he had been told. He turned his wide eyes on Jack again. "Pleeeease?"

How could he resist that look? As Jack took the painting from Daniel and stuck it on the fridge with a couple of magnets, he again wondered where all his Special Ops training had gone.

Daniel positively beamed. Cassie had told him that the fridge was the most important place in the house and that all pictures must go there, so for Jack to have agreed, that meant his picture was important too. In Egypt, his mommy would stick the pictures on the wall because there was no fridge, but she had always made him feel they were important. "Thank you, Jack!" He hugged Jack's leg; he had the _best_ big brother!

"Uh, no problem," Jack said awkwardly as he patted Daniel's head.

"Let's do folding!" the little boy exclaimed before rushing off.

"Oy," Jack groaned; those naps sure gave Daniel a lot of energy. He followed at a more sedate pace and found Daniel sitting on the laundry room floor watching the clothes go round in the dryer.

"What's it doing?" Daniel inquired as he watched the clothes spin around; he had never seen anything like that before.

Jack sighed and settled in to answer a lot of questions.

By six o'clock, the laundry was done and folded. Daniel had done a good job with the folding and, after a minute of begging for the privilege, he had also carried the clothes into the correct bedrooms; Jack had quietly laughed at Daniel's enthusiasm for a chore many adults hated.

"Did I do a good job?" Daniel asked, his legs swinging as he sat at the kitchen table ready for dinner. He had felt so important helping Jack and doing grown-up jobs.

"You did an excellent job," Jack praised as he served Daniel a plate of sausages and vegetables. "Mom taught you well."

"Can I set the table tomorrow?" Daniel asked, eager to be of further help.

"We'll see," Jack said non-committally; it all depended on what they had for dinner tomorrow.

Daniel turned his attention to the food. There were some strange looking things on his plate. "What's this?" he questioned, poking his fork at a white lump of food.

"Mashed potato," Jack replied.

"And this?" Daniel prodded the orange square.

"Pumpkin."

"This?"

"Beans. Sausages," Jack said as Daniel eyes moved to the next item on the plate.

Daniel surveyed the meal, uncertain. The foods Jack had listed weren't ones he was used to. "Will I like them?"

"I certainly hope so," Jack said dryly. He started eating so that Daniel would follow suit.

Deciding that the mashed potato looked the most appealing, Daniel started to eat. After the potato, which was okay, he tried the beans - not too bad. Finally, he tried the pumpkin. "Yuck!" he exclaimed, pulling a face at the taste.

"What?" Jack hadn't been keeping track of what Daniel had been eating.

"The pup-kin's yucky," Daniel elaborated, pushing the vegetable aside; there was no way he was going to eat that.

"You're just not used to it," Jack told him, taking a bit of his own pumpkin. "Look - mmm, delicious."

"Is not," Daniel argued.

"Is too."

"Is not.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Listen," Jack broke the repetitive argument, "you need to try things at least twice before you can say you don't like it."

Daniel tilted his head to the side. "Is that another rule?" he queried.

"Yes, it is," Jack said, nodding. "So try another mouthful," he ordered.

Screwing up his nose in disgust, Daniel took another bite of the pumpkin and gamely chewed it. After he swallowed it, he said, "It's still yucky. Do I have to eat it?"

Jack tried to think back to when he was little and what his mother used to say to him. He knew what his father would say: no dessert if you don't finish your vegetables. The times Jack had argued the point, he had been sent straight to bed. He didn't want to use that tactic with Daniel though, remembering how resentful that had made him feel. "Not tonight. But you'll have to have some extra potato."

"Okay," Daniel agreed as Jack put some more potato on his plate.

"And you'll have to try it at Grandma Iris'," Jack continued. "Pumpkin pie is traditional on Thanksgiving."

"But it's yucky," Daniel complained, his mouth full of potato.

"Yes, but Grandma Iris will be disappointed if you don't at least try it." Jack wasn't sure if that would be true or not but it might get Daniel to eat some.

Daniel didn't want Grandma Iris to be disappointed. "I'll try it," he conceded. "But I won't like it."

Jack didn't say anything to that; he was looking forward to seeing how his grandmother dealt with the situation.

After dessert - ice-cream again - Daniel went to work on his jigsaw while Jack cleaned up the kitchen. Just as he finished, the phone rang and he quickly picked up the kitchen extension before Daniel could. "O'Neill residence."

Is this Jack? a female voice inquired.

"Yes." The voice sounded familiar...

This is Sara, from the toy store.

Jack grinned; she was interested after all. "Hi."

Hi. So, are you still interested in a date? she asked.

Was he ever! "Sure," Jack replied as casually as he could. He racked his brains to think of a suitable date. "Would... Saturday be okay?"

That would be fine.

Jack thought he could hear her smile over the phone. "Great. Shall I pick you up around seven?"

Sounds good to me, Sara replied. I know a nice Chinese place we can go.

Chinese - his second favourite take-out! On a high, Jack wrote down her address and then chatted for a few moments more. When he finally hung up, he became aware of two blue eyes staring at him. "What?"

"Who was that? Was that Grandma Iris?" Daniel questioned curiously. He had heard Jack's voice but not the words.

"No, it wasn't. How is the puzzle going?" Jack tried to change the subject.

"Okay. Who was it?" Daniel persisted.

Jack sighed. "The lady from the toy store - Sara."

"Why did she call?" Daniel wanted to know next.

"Because she felt like it," Jack replied, ushering Daniel back into the living room. "Now sit down and do your puzzle," he ordered, turning on the television so he could watch 'The Simpsons'. The show was new that year but Jack was addicted to it already; the humour appealed to him.

A few minutes into the show, Daniel crawled up onto the couch beside Jack and stared at the television. "What's that?"

"_That_ is 'The Simpsons'," Jack answered, keeping his eyes on the screen.

"What's the Simpsons?" Daniel asked next, watching the strange yellow people.

"They're a family," Jack replied. He pointed to the television. "See the woman with blue hair? That's Marge, the mother. And the boy next to her is Bart."

Daniel stared at the characters. "Why do they look strange?" People didn't look like that, he was quite certain.

"Because they're cartoons. A cartoon is like a movie but with drawings rather than actors," Jack explained, finally taking his eyes off the screen to look at Daniel, who was snuggling against his side.

Daniel accepted Jack's word on that and just kept watching for the rest of the episode, content to be sitting next to his big brother.

When the show finished, Jack announced that it was time for a bath. Daniel, who still had plenty of energy, didn't want to go so Jack picked him up under one arm, collected Daniel's pyjamas from the bedroom, and then carried the kid to the bathroom.

Daniel protested initially and then found it funny to be carried that way so he started giggling and being silly. "Look at me, I'm flying! Zroom!" He stuck his arms out like wings. By the time he got to the bathroom, he had become Daedalus, testing out his new wings. "Careful, Ic'rus, not too close to the sun!" he warned as Jack deposited him next to the bath.

"My apologies," Jack said as he watched Daniel zoom around the room, arms outstretched. He was amazed at Daniel's imagination and capacity for play; given how intelligent Daniel seemed to be, Jack had thought he would be more adult-like. Maybe their mother had something to do with that, he mused - Jack had grown up quickly so she had tried to make sure the same thing didn't happen again. Except that effort would be in vain now; being an orphan would bring about that change.

On Daniel's next pass, Jack reached out and caught him. "Come on, you can fly again later."

"Okay," Daniel easily agreed. He let Jack help him get undressed and then put him in the bath. Once he had his toys, Daniel started playing happily.

"Hang on, hair first," Jack stated, getting the new shampoo and reading the instructions. "Lie down and wet your hair," he ordered Daniel.

After Daniel had done that, Jack poured some shampoo onto the top of his brother's head. "Alright, rub it in."

Daniel complied enthusiastically, causing the shampoo to froth up everywhere. After a minute, Jack took over, making sure that the job was done properly. Then he retrieved the ice-cream container he had put in the bathroom earlier and filled it with water. "Close your eyes tightly." The instructions on the bottle said it wouldn't sting children's eyes but Jack had the washcloth within easy reach just in case. "Don't open them until I say so, okay?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel scrunched his eyes closed as Jack poured the water over his head. He kept them closed, listening to the container being filled again, and then there was more water cascading down over him.

Jack used the washcloth to wipe Daniel's face and move the hair back out of the way, and then he said, "Open."

Daniel's eyes popped open. "All clean now?" he queried.

"Once more," Jack replied, getting the bottle again.

They went through the process one more time, and then Daniel was allowed to play with his toys for a while.

Towards the end of the bath, Alice's words about the incident at day-care came back to Jack. Deciding he had better get some more details, Jack said, "Daniel?"

"Yep?" Daniel briefly glanced up from his playing.

"What happened today with Adam?"

Daniel busied himself with the diver. "Nothing," he evaded the question.

Jack put his hand over Daniel's to still the movement. "Daniel," he warned.

Looking up at his big brother, Daniel stated, "He was mean to me. He said I was a baby and that my parents don't want me because they've gone on a long trip and when I said they hadn't and he was jealous, he pushed me over, and then the teacher came over and Adam got into trouble."

Jack had the feeling that was the abbreviated version. "So you're okay, he didn't hurt you or anything?"

"I'm fine." His bottom had been sore for a little while but that had been it. "Why did he say those mean things?" Daniel couldn't understand why anyone would do that to him.

"Because..." Jack was stuck for an answer. "Because... he was ignorant," he finally said.

"What's ign'rant?" Daniel wanted to know.

"It means when someone doesn't know about something," Jack explained, hoping the answer would satisfy.

Daniel thought about that and then nodded. "Adam is ign'rant about Mommy and Daddy. He doesn't know that they love me and would never leave me behind." It was very sad that Adam didn't know that.

"Exactly." Jack's heart sank; he was going to have to tell Daniel the truth and it had better be soon. Tonight would be best, he decided. "Time to hop out, kiddo."

"Awww! One more minute please?" Daniel begged, wanting some more playing time.

"Not tonight," Jack replied, determined to have the talk with Daniel as soon as possible. He lifted Daniel out of the bath, and helped him get dry and then dressed. Teeth were then brushed and finally Jack couldn't put it off any longer. He would have to tell Daniel what had happened.


	13. The Truth

Only a short part but it does require a tissue warning because it's "The Talk". I've been told the next few chapters also require tissues because they're still dealing with the same topic.

--------------------------

**Part 13 - The Truth**

Deciding this was best done ouside, Jack bundled Daniel up in his brightly coloured blanket and carried him out the back door. There were some clear patches in the sky, which Jack was pleased about because it would make his explanation a little easier. "Danny, do you know what angels are?"

Daniel nodded, ignoring the shortening of his name for now. "Mommy says that angels are people who don't live on Earth any more 'cos they died like her mommy."

"That's right," Jack stated, hating what he was going to have to say soon. "Do you know where they live?"

Daniel pondered that for a moment and then pointed up to the sky. "Up there."

"That's right, up in the stars." Jack was glad he didn't have to explain everything; it looked like Claire had taught them both the same thing. "And even though we can't actually see the angels, we know they're up there because of the stars, don't we?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel stuck his thumb in his mouth; his stomach was beginning to feel funny at the questions Jack was asking.

"You know how your mom and dad went on a long trip to somewhere they couldn't take you? Well, that's where they went, up into the stars as angels," Jack told Daniel gently. Without realising it, he started rubbing the boy's back to soften the blow.

Tears welled in Daniel's eyes. "They're not coming back?" They weren't supposed to leave him behind.

"No, Danny, they're not," Jack said softly.

"They left me?" Daniel tried to get his young mind around the idea. "Didn't they want me any more?"

Jack swallowed a lump in his throat. "They wanted you so much, Danny, never believe that they didn't," he replied when his voice was steady. "But they weren't given a choice."

"They died?" Daniel sought clarification, his voice wavering.

"Yeah." Jack felt his own grief return, as well as the regret that he hadn't seen his mother in four years. They had corresponded with emails and phone calls but it wasn't the same thing. He took Daniel's glasses off and put them in a pocket for safekeeping.

"Why?" Daniel couldn't understand it; mommies and daddies weren't meant to die.

Jack looked to the stars, wishing he had an easy answer to give. He supposed he could have just not mentioned it but after hearing what Adam had said today, it had reminded him that Daniel needed to know. "I don't know," he replied. "My grandma always told me that God wanted special helpers."

Tears now started to flow down Daniel's cheeks and he buried his face against Jack's neck. "That's not fair! I want them here!" he cried, the words muffled but understandable.

"I know." Jack felt tears come to his own eyes as he dealt with his own pain plus Daniel's. "I want them here too," he whispered, his voice strained from holding back his emotions. He had become accustomed to hiding his feelings when he had joined Special Ops, and after his POW stint especially. But now he was finding it hard to remain stoic.

He held Daniel close as the kid cried, stroking his back and rocking just a little. When he felt the tears start to abate after what seemed to be a long time, Jack stated, "But they're not completely gone, remember? They're up there in the stars, looking down and watching us."

Daniel sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on Jack's shoulder since it was close by. With one hand, he rubbed at his tired, sad eyes. "They can see me?" That would be good because that would mean that they hadn't completely gone away.

"They can, and they still love you very much," Jack replied, hoping it was true. He wasn't quite sure what he believed in any more but right now, Daniel needed something to cling to. And some tissues, he thought, grimacing at the thought of what was now on his - fortunately covered - shoulder.

It didn't occur to Daniel to question how Jack knew that; his intelligent brain was too preoccupied with the fact that he wouldn't see his parents again, that he would never be hugged and kissed by them, and that he wouldn't be going back to Egypt. "I can't go home?" he asked, his bottom lip still trembling.

Jack shook his head. "No. Your home, at least for now, is here."

Daniel's eyes filled with tears again, and he flung his free arm around Jack's neck; he had picked up on the 'at least for now' part. "I don't wanna go away! Stay with you!"

"Danny, I can't look after you--" Jack started to protest.

"Wanna stay here!" Daniel cried, knowing what he wanted. Jack meant 'safe' to him and he didn't want to leave that. "Don't make me go, Jack, please!" He held on tight and pressed his face into Jack's neck again.

Jack murmured, "I'm sorry," as he rocked Daniel, trying to comfort his brother. He couldn't keep Daniel - he didn't know how to raise a kid, although the past few days had certainly taught him a lot. "You're not going anywhere yet," he continued in the same voice.

"Don't wanna go," came the muffled protest.

"How about we wait and see?" Jack compromised.

Daniel shook his head; he knew what he wanted. "Stay."

Sighing, Jack decided to abandon the argument and just hold his brother. After a few minutes of silence, he took Daniel back inside as the temperature was dropping. As they passed through the living room, Jack retrieved Thoth and gave the bear to Daniel. As he carried his little brother into the bedroom, Daniel asked quietly, "Do you miss Mommy?"

"Very much," Jack answered truthfully, feeling an ache in his heart; the grief was still too fresh. He set Daniel down on the bed and crouched in front of him. "It's okay to miss her," he added, talking to himself as well as Daniel. Reaching over to the bedside table, he got a couple of tissues and handed them to Daniel. "Blow," he instructed.

Solemnly, Daniel did so until there was nothing left, then he leaned forward and patted his big brother's shoulder - the dry one. "It's okay," he echoed, sensing that Jack was sad too.

Getting off the bed, Daniel went over to the bookshelf and got his photo album out. Then he walked back to his brother and held it out to him. "Do you want to look?" he offered generously.

Jack lifted Daniel onto the bed and then took hold of the album. As Daniel scooted back to climb under the covers, Thoth in his arms, Jack settled down beside him - after removing the tissues to a safer place. "How about we both look?" he suggested.

When Daniel was ready, Jack opened the album to the first page. A large photograph of Claire Jackson holding baby Daniel dominated the page, with the date 'July 8th, 1999' written underneath.

"That's me and Mommy," Daniel said unnecessarily as he snuggled against Jack's side.

_Cute_, Jack thought as he turned the page. There were several pictures showing Daniel getting bigger, all with either Claire or Melburn in them. For each one, Daniel had a little story, showing that these pictures had been looked at often and with love. Jack felt the stirrings of jealousy; why couldn't his father have been like Melburn? Just as he started to feel envious of Daniel for having a loving father, Jack remembered why they were looking at the photos. He looked down at Daniel and wondered how much the kid would remember of his parents' love as he grew older. There had to be some way he could ensure Daniel did.

After they had looked through the album, Jack picked Daniel up and carried him into the other bedroom. Together, they lay down on the bed and Jack held Daniel until the little boy fell asleep. Then he gently washed Daniel tear-stained face and got ready for bed himself. Finally, he hopped into bed and gathered Daniel into his arms again, both giving and taking comfort until he too fell asleep.


	14. Dealing with the Truth

**Part 14 - Dealing with the Truth**

**Wednesday, 26th November**

Jack awoke to the feeling that he was being watched. His head aching from the emotions he'd held in last night, he slowly opened his eyes to see Daniel sitting next to him, staring at him, teddy bear held tight.

"You lied," Daniel accused as soon as he saw that Jack was awake.

Jack groaned; he really didn't feel up to figuring out what Daniel meant. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. You said you would tell Mommy I was brave." Daniel had been awake for a little while and had remembered what Jack had said yesterday. He wasn't at all happy that Jack had lied to him about that, not to mention that no-one had told him what had happened to his parents until now. "How can you tell her that if she's an angel?"

Jack thought quickly. "Because mommy and daddy angels have a special ability that lets them hear whenever their children talk to them."

Daniel's eyes opened wide. "They can hear me?" He hoped they hadn't been listening in the other day when Jack had smacked him.

"Not all the time," Jack clarified. "Only when you need to talk to them."

Daniel looked around him and then whispered, "Are you sure?"

Realising what Daniel was thinking, Jack stated, "Positive. Only when you want to talk to them," he confirmed so that Daniel wouldn't feel as though every word was listened to.

That was very good. "Even if I can't see the stars, they'll hear me?" Daniel asked next, wanting to understand better.

"Any time night or day, whenever you want," Jack told him.

Daniel thought it all through carefully. He liked the idea that he would still be able to talk to his mommy and daddy but... "I won't be able to hear them, will I?"

Jack looked at the sad expression and shook his head. "Not with your ears, no. But in your head and your heart, yes."

Daniel glanced down at his chest in confusion. "My heart doesn't have ears!" Jack was just being silly.

Jack didn't feel up to explanations so early in the morning so he let the discussion go; he would bring it up later when he was feeling better. "Right. How about some breakfast?"

Daniel paused for a few seconds and looked at Thoth before turning his face back to his brother. "Thoth isn't hungry."

"Well, even if he isn't, he should keep up his strength, and so should you," Jack said. "You've got day-care today."

"Not going!" Mutinuously, Daniel slid off the bed and ran out of the room. He went into his bedroom and hid under his bed. There was no way he was going to day-care! If he went, then something bad might happen to Jack too, and then he would be all alone and who would look after him?

Jack groaned as Daniel disappeared; he so didn't need this! "Daniel!" he yelled. When the kid didn't appear, Jack got up, pulled on a pair of sweats and went in search of his little brother.

While he was in the bathroom, he took a couple of Aspirin, and then headed to Daniel's bedroom next.

When he found Daniel under the single bed, Jack didn't immediately know what to say. Daniel was scrunched up in a ball, Thoth hugged tightly to his chest. In a soft voice, Jack said, "Daniel, please come out from under there." He could see tear tracks on the kid's cheeks and knew he had to tread carefully.

Daniel shook his head. "Not going," he stated stubbornly.

"We've been over this before," Jack said, keeping his tone non-threatening. "I'm not allowed to take you to work."

"I'll be good, I promise," Daniel pleaded.

"There's nothing for you to do there, and the base isn't equipped for kids," Jack argued, a hint of frustration showing through. The Aspirin hadn't kicked in yet, and his head was still aching. "So I can't take you with me."

Daniel burrowed back further under the bed out of Jack's reach. If he didn't get to stay with Jack, then he wasn't going anywhere.

At a loss, Jack turned the situation over in his mind and decided he was going to have to bite the bullet and call his grandmother for advice. He really didn't know what to do. Daniel wouldn't come out from under the bed and Jack didn't want to drag him out from there when the kid was already feeling fragile. But time was getting away from them and he really needed to start getting ready for work. So, out of desperation, Jack left Daniel in the bedroom and headed out to the living room to make the call.

The phone was answered after three rings. Iris O'Neill.

"Grandma, it's Jack. I--"

Are you alright? Has something happened to Daniel? Iris interrupted, obviously worried about why her grandson would be calling her so early in the morning.

"Not exactly," Jack stated, peeking down the hallway to see whether Daniel had emerged yet and then going back into the living room. "I told Daniel about his parents last night and now he's refusing to go to day-care."

There was silence for a moment, then Iris scolded, Well, of course he doesn't want to go. He's just lost his parents, Jack. He won't want to lose you too.

Jack sighed; he didn't understand that reason. "But he's not going to lose me," he said impatiently.

Daniel is four, and his world has been turned upside-down, Iris explained, her tone losing its edge. He just needs some reassurance that it's not going to keep on changing.

_Just what I can't provide_, Jack thought in frustration. "I can't keep him, Grandma," he said in a low voice so that Daniel, if he was nearby, wouldn't hear him.

There was another silence as if Iris was debating whether to argue or not. She obviously decided not to when she stated, But you're there with him now and that's what he needs to know.

"I can't take him to the base with me," Jack pointed out, getting the feeling he was being painted into a corner.

So take the day off, Iris suggested.

"It's not that easy." Jack thought about what it would involve taking a day off: first he would have to inform General Hammond and explain the reason; and, if he _did_ get the day off, there was the problem of what to tell his mates after the long weekend. And then, of course, there was the problem of what to do with Daniel. "I can't just call and say 'my brother won't go to day-care, I need the day off'."

Sarcasm does not suit you, Jack, Iris said disapprovingly. I'm sure your commanding officer will understand if you tell him that Daniel has been through a traumatic experience.

The general would understand, Jack knew that from the conversation he'd had with Hammond on Saturday in which he had been granted Monday to help Daniel settle in. But wanting to call the general and ask was a different matter. "Grandma--"

Jack, Daniel is your responsibility and your brother. You need to do the right thing and put his needs ahead of yours. Which is more important - going to work or ensuring that Daniel knows he is loved and safe? Her tone told him which one it should be.

Sinking down onto the couch, Jack ran one hand through his hair; he hated being backed into a corner. "I don't know what to do with him, Grandma. I can't... how can I keep him occupied for a whole day?"

Iris tut-tutted him, and Jack could just see her rolling her eyes at him. Come down here then. It will give us a chance to get to know Daniel before the family arrives.

Jack sighed with relief at the solution. "Thanks, Grandma. I'll give you a call before we leave," he promised.

And make sure you give Daniel lots of hugs, Iris gave him one last instruction. Your mother was always one for hugging so Daniel will need that right now.

"Gotcha. Talk to you later." Jack hung up and then immediately dialled Cheyenne Mountain, praying that Hammond was going to understand.

Back in the bedroom, Daniel's thumb was becoming increasingly waterlogged as he waited for Jack to return. As the minutes passed, he began to worry that maybe Jack had gone away because he didn't want Daniel any more; after all, Jack had said this was only for the moment. And he had sensed that Jack was mad at him for hiding - maybe Jack was calling someone right now to come and take him away.

His heart filled with fear, Daniel crawled out from under the bed and quietly made his way down the hallway. As he got closer, he could heart Jack talking to someone and the fear increased even though he couldn't make out what was being said.

Daniel peeked around the living room door and saw Jack talking on the phone. It was real - Jack was going to make him go away!

Panicked, he fled back to the bedroom and went under the double bed this time so that no-one would be able to take him away. He wanted to stay with Jack and that was that!

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack had seen movement, and he had turned in time to see Daniel run away. He swore to himself and then realised who was on the other end of the phone. "Sorry, sir," he apologised.

Having a few problems? Hammond asked.

"You could say that, sir," Jack stated as he went in search of Daniel. "I wouldn't normally be asking, sir, but--"

But you're right, Daniel needs someone at the moment, Hammond agreed. From what you've said, Captain, I think a personal day is in order. You're on standdown until Monday.

"Sir, I--" Jack knelt down in front of the single bed but couldn't see Daniel under it.

"Go spend some time with your brother, Captain. That's an order.

Jack sighed resignedly. "Yes, sir. Thank you." He hung up and then called out, "Daniel!"

There was a tiny sniffle from the opposite side of the room. "Daniel?" Jack tried again, this time with less frustration.

"Dontwannago," came the quiet and teary protest.

"You don't have to go," Jack stated, unaware that Daniel wasn't talking about day-care. He lay down on the floor so he could see his little brother tucked way back underneath the double bed.

There was a cautious silence, then the question, "I don't?" The words were clearer as Daniel took his thumb out of his mouth.

"No, you don't," Jack confirmed.

That was good to hear but Daniel needed further confirmation. "You're not going to send me away?"

Send him away? "No, I've just said you don't have to go to day-care today," Jack stated a little impatiently.

Daniel shook his head; Jack didn't understand. "Are you going to keep me?" he asked in a small voice.

With a sudden understanding, Jack realised what Daniel meant. Before he knew what he was saying, he replied, "Of course I'm going to keep you."

Daniel's face lit up. He was going to stay with Jack! Jack hadn't been talking to someone about sending him away! He crawled out from under the bed and, when his brother had sat up, launched himself into Jack's arms.

Jack automatically hugged Daniel, feeling how tightly the kid was hanging onto him. Grandma Iris had been right; Daniel really needed to be reassured right now. But now he had a problem because Daniel thought he was going to stay permanently and Jack wasn't sure that was the truth yet. He would have to deal with that issue later on when Daniel was in a better mood.

"I'll be really good and eat all my vegetables 'cept pup-kin 'cos it's yucky," Daniel promised in his haste to assure Jack he had made the right decision. "And I won't argue or say bad words and I'll help lots around the house and--"

Jack let Daniel talk for awhile longer, not saying anything back but just holding him until he felt the arms around his neck begin to loosen. Then he stood up with Daniel in his arms and went over to get some more tissues. "Here, blow," he instructed as he held out a couple to Daniel.

Instead of taking them, Daniel moved his face towards the tissues, forcing Jack to hold them still while the boy blew his nose. Thinking it almost as bad as having his shirt used as a hankerchief, Jack gingerly held them away from himself until he could put them in a bin.

He carried Daniel out to the kitchen - where he disposed of the tissues - and put the kid down on the nearest chair. "So, what will we have for breakfast this morning?" he asked.

"Porridge!" Daniel said enthusiastically. "Mommy always made porridge for breakfast." A frown crossed his face. "Does that mean I'll never have porridge again?"

"Of course you'll have porridge again," Jack said, getting out the Fruit Loops. "Just... not today. I don't have any," he admitted, bringing the cereal and milk over to the table then going back to get the bowls and spoons.

"Can we get some?" Daniel asked hopefully, swinging his legs.

"We'll ask Grandma Iris later," Jack stated; it looked like he would have to shop for porridge when they got back from Denver. He poured a bowl of cereal for Daniel and then pushed it towards his brother.

"Okay." Daniel accepted Jack's word and started eating. After a few mouthfuls, he said, looking puzzled, "We're not going to see Grandma Iris till tomorrow."

Jack got up and poured himself a cup of coffee as he answered, "Actually, we're going to go there today."

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Really?" He couldn't wait to meet his new grandma. "When?"

"As soon as we're ready," Jack replied. Then he realised that was the wrong thing to say as Daniel started shovelling the cereal into his mouth. "Ah! Slow down and eat properly," he ordered.

"Meth, Jeg," Daniel replied with his mouth full. He started chewing slower, wanting to be good for Jack, but since he was eager to get going, he still ate faster than usual. When he was finished, he drank his new chocolate milk - which was delicious - as fast as he could. Then he sat there watching Jack eat, impatiently swinging his legs.

Jack managed to endure the staring for a two minutes before he gave in. He put his spoon down and then stood up. "Okay, come on."

Daniel jumped down off the chair and ran into the bathroom to await Jack. When his big brother put the paste on his toothbrush, Daniel started cleaning his teeth, brushing furiously.

Leaving Daniel to it, Jack went back to the kitchen to finish his breakfast. His headache was finally beginning to recede, which was a relief. However, with Daniel alternating between being upset and being hyper this morning, Jack wasn't sure how long his patience was going to last. How did parents cope with this on a full-time basis?

Putting his dishes in the sink, he then went to check on his little brother, hoping that Daniel couldn't have done anything except brush his teeth in the last few minutes.

He almost walked straight past Daniel's bedroom except something caught his eye. He stepped back one pace and looked at the mess covering the floor. "Daniel, what are you doing?" he said, a hint of frustration showing through. There were clothes everywhere, and the young boy was sitting in the middle of the mess.

"I have to pack to go to Grandma Iris' house," Daniel explained with perfect logic. He looked up and saw that Jack wasn't happy. His face fell; had he done something wrong? "Jack?"

"I know you're eager to go but you need to wait for me, kiddo," Jack stated, trying to remain patient. He ran a hand through his hair as he surveyed the room. How could Daniel have done this in a couple of minutes? At least he didn't have a lot of clothes to begin with - that was something. "Now, I need you to put everything back where you got them from."

"Okay." Daniel looked around him; that could be a problem. But he would do his best and hope that Jack didn't get mad if some things were in the wrong place.

Jack waited until Daniel started picking up clothes before he headed to the bathroom. He had relieved himself and then started to brush his teeth before Daniel came in.

"I'm done," Daniel announced, climbing up on his little step so he could see into the mirror easily. "Are you ready yet?"

"No' ye'," Jack said around a mouthful of toothpaste. He quickly picked Daniel up and sat him on the bench so that the kid didn't go anywhere. "Sta' pu'."

"Okay," Daniel replied after a couple of seconds, having to interpret what Jack had said. "Can I take Thoth with me?"

"Uh-huh."

"And Denahi?"

"Yeah."

"And you're staying with me?" Daniel asked, a little bit worried that maybe this was a ploy to get rid of him.

Jack leaned over and spat the toothpaste out into the basin. "Of course I'm staying with you," he said before rinsing his mouth out. When he was finished, he ruffled Daniel's hair to reassure him. "Now, I'm going to take a shower. I want you to go and work on your jigsaw, okay?" That might keep the kid busy for awhile.

"Okay." Daniel held his arms out and Jack lifted him to the floor. Then he ran out of the bathroom and into the living room, stopping abruptly in front of the table where his puzzle lay. There was only about ten pieces left - he reckoned he could get it finished while Jack was in the shower.

After ten minutes, Daniel had put the second last piece in. Before he put the last piece in, he went to the back door and, opening it, peered out at the sky. He couldn't see any stars but he trusted Jack's words that his parents would still be listening. "Mommy, Daddy, I'm about to put the last piece in my jigsaw. You can come and watch if you like," he invited.

He waited for a few moments to let them inside, his eyes eagerly searching for any sign of them. As he sighed, disappointed, a breeze suddenly ruffled his hair. Taking that as a sign, Daniel grinned and rushed back into the living room, forgetting to close the door.

Proudly picking up the piece, Daniel placed it in the jigsaw, happy with his achievement and the fact his parents had seen it. "I did it all by myself," he told them. "Jack didn't help me once."

"What didn't I help you with?" Jack asked as he stepped into the living room. He'd had a quick shower because he hadn't wanted to leave Daniel on his own for too long. "And who are you talking to?" There was no-one, not even any toys, in the room.

"Mommy and Daddy," Daniel admitted freely. "Look, Jack, I finished it!" He beamed up at his brother, wanting to share his excitement.

"Congratulations, kiddo." Jack was impressed; he wouldn't have been able to do that at Daniel's age! "I'm sure your parents would be proud," he added.

"They are! They came in to see it but they have to go back now." Daniel ran to the back door, waited for a minute, and then shut it.

Jack was right behind him to lock the door. He decided not to comment on Daniel's belief that his parents had just visited as invisible angels; after all, he was the one who had told Daniel that he could still talk to them. Besides, it might help Daniel to cope with everything. Looking down at his grinning little brother, Jack wished he could cope the same way. What he wouldn't give right now for his mother's advice on how to deal with all of this. "Come on, let's get you dressed," he said to Daniel, pushing aside that thought. But as Daniel rushed off, Jack lingered for a moment, staring up at the sky.

"Hurry up, Jack!" Daniel called from his bedroom. He waited impatiently in the middle of the room for his brother to show up, eager to be dressed and on his way.

Jack wished he was as resilient. But as he sat on the bed and helped Daniel get dressed, he noticed that the kid was being clingy, standing right in front of him so that they were always touching in some way, mainly a little hand resting on his knee. Okay, maybe not completely bounced back, Jack decided; obviously Daniel still needed reassurance that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Can I show Grandma Iris my jigsaw?" Daniel queried, wanting to show off his achievement. He leaned against Jack's leg and looked imploringly up at his brother. "Please?"

Jack shook his head; there was no way they could get it there without dismantling it. However, he did have an alternative. "How about I take a photo of you with the puzzle so then Grandma can see it?"

Daniel pouted; he wanted to take the puzzle with him. "Why can't I take it with me?" he protested.

"Because we'd have to take it apart to get it there and then put it back together again," Jack explained. He picked Daniel up and sat him on his lap. "Taking a photo is much easier, and Grandma will still be very impressed," he continued.

Daniel snuggled against Jack's chest and contemplated the whole idea. He hadn't thought about having to take it apart. Maybe taking a photo was the best idea. "Okay," he finally agreed. "Can we do it now? Oh! Hair!" he exclaimed. Daniel hopped off Jack's lap and went to fetch his hairbrush. Then he held it out to Jack in clear invitation.

Jack took the brush and did Daniel's hair, understanding that the kid wanted to look his best. Then he returned the brush to Daniel, who quickly put it away and came back to pull on Jack's hand.

"Come _on_, Jack!" Daniel insisted; the sooner they took the photo, the sooner they could leave.

Jack sighed and gave in to the tugging. They went to Jack's bedroom to get the camera and then into the living room where the puzzle awaited. Daniel knelt down behind the table and grinned up at Jack, clearly used to having his photo taken.

After checking how many photos he had left on the camera, Jack took two pictures of Daniel with the jigsaw and then one of Daniel's bedroom - with Thoth in pride of place on the bed - to finish off the film.

"Can I see them?" Daniel asked, bouncing up and down in front of Jack.

"Not yet. We'll have to take them in to get them printed," Jack told him. He glanced at the clock - eight o'clock. Still an hour before they could go into the shops. "Listen, I have to call the day-care centre and tell them you're not coming in today. How about you go get your drawing stuff and bring them in here while I do that?"

"Okay." Daniel raced off, still full of energy.

Jack picked up the phone and as he dialled, shook his head. He only had to survive for a few more hours and then Grandma Iris could take a turn at looking after Daniel.


	15. Off to Grandmother's House we go

This is another of the sad parts so if you tend to cry at stories, have a tissue ready just in case g .

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**Part 15 - Off to Grandmother's House we go...**

Jack made the phone call to the day-care centre while Daniel was happily drawing. After he had done that, he went back out to the living room to fetch his little brother.

Daniel looked up as Jack came to stand nearby. He had drawn himself standing in front of a pyramid and now he wanted to put his parents in the picture too. "Jack, what do angels look like?" he inquired.

Angels? Jack looked at the drawing, saw the two faces in the sky, and realised what the picture was about. He sat down on the couch and said, "Uh, I don't really know, Danny. But many people believe they have wings."

"Like birds?" Daniel asked, stretching out one arm and trying to imagine it as a wing.

"Not quite." A week ago, that would have been amusing. As it was... "They're big wings coming out from your back and... haven't you seen the angels on a Christmas tree?" Jack inquired.

Daniel shook his head. "What's a Christmas tree?"

"Oy," Jack groaned; another tradition to teach him about. "Do you know anything about Christmas?"

"It's when the baby Jesus was born but many Egyptians don't celebrate it because they don't believe in him," Daniel rattled off. "Some families and us gave presents to each other, and I got Thoth when I was two from Mommy and Daddy, and last year they gave me some books." Daniel's happy expression indicated what he felt about the gifts. "And I gave Mommy a scarf and Daddy a hat, and I got them myself 'cos I sometimes got money for helping on the ex-ki-vations, and Daddy looked after it for me so no-one would take it away."

"Right," Jack said after the rapid-fire explanation. "Well, at Christmas time, everyone puts up a tree as part of their, uh, celebration, and they decorate it with lots of shiny things," he explained awkwardly.

"Why?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I, uh, I don't know," Jack admitted; he had never really given it much thought. "It's a tradition."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Like pup-kin pie."

"Exactly. Anyway, lots of families have an angel on top of their tree - a fake angel," Jack clarified so that Daniel wouldn't think real angels did that.

"Why?"

Jack didn't have an answer for that so he changed the direction of the conversation. "Just because. Anyway, if I may?" He gestured towards the crayons.

"Uh-huh." Daniel scooted up onto the couch next to Jack as his older brother started sketching something on a new page. He watched as the pretty angel took shape, with her white flowing dress and big wings. When Jack had finished, Daniel reached out to touch the picture. "That's what Mommy looks like now?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Jack replied, a lump forming in his throat. He wanted to believe that was what Claire looked like now, not a broken body like those he had seen overseas. "It is."

Daniel easily accepted that. "She's pretty," he commented, patting the picture one last time. "What about Daddy?"

A male angel? Jack thought about it for a few moments before sketching an angel on the other half of the page. He kept the basic design the same but made a few changes to make it more masculine. "How about that?" he said, offering the picture to Daniel for approval.

"He's pretty too." Daniel snuggled in close to Jack's side. He missed his Mommy and Daddy so much even though they had just recently visited him. "I want them to come home," he said softly, sniffing as tears filled his eyes.

After a small hesitation, Jack picked Daniel up and sat the little boy in his lap. "I know you do, kiddo. But we'll just have to be brave, won't we?" He placed his arm around Daniel.

"Don't wanna be brave," Daniel murmured, turning his face towards Jack's chest. All he wanted right now was his parents to come back properly.

"I know but you don't want to be sad now, do you?" Jack questioned, not comfortable with the crying thing. "Not when we're going to Grandma's, remember?"

Daniel sniffed loudly and rubbed his eyes. "Are we going soon?"

"Well, first you're going to finish your picture so you can take it to show Grandma," Jack stated. "While you're doing that, I'm going to pack my stuff, then I'll come and help you with yours, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel gave another sniff and then slid off Jack's lap onto the floor so that he could start drawing again.

Relieved that crisis had been averted, Jack headed off to the bedroom to pack.

By eight-thirty, everything was ready to go to Denver. Jack had helped Daniel pack clothes into the backpack while the books, bath stuff, videos and toys were put into a couple of shopping bags; Daniel's brightly coloured blanket would just be folded up and carried.

They relaxed for a little while, Jack sitting down with Daniel to watch a cartoon about a square sea-sponge that wore pants. It kept Jack busy answering questions as Daniel wanted to know everything about what the characters were supposed to be.

From the time Jack said it was time to go, it took ten minutes to actually get out to the car. Daniel had to use the bathroom, then get his shoelaces tied, then fetch his coat and put it on, and finally retrieve a book he had forgotten to pack.

They went into the shopping centre and dropped the film off at a shop that promised one-hour photos. Then while they waited, they wandered around the other shops. At a music shop, Jack bought a couple of CD's recommended by the shop assistant as popular with children; he remembered what his Grandma had said about keeping Daniel entertained on the car trip.

A bathing suit was much harder to find being almost winter, but they eventually found a sports store that sold them. Again getting advice from a shop assistant - a nice young woman who flirted with Jack - a blue-green suit consisting of a t-shirt and briefs was purchased.

Daniel was very happy; he had never had so many new things as he'd had over the past few days. He skipped along at Jack's side, holding his big brother's hand so as not to lose him, and chattering away about everything.

Jack was getting exhausted just from hearing to the non-stop chatter. But he listened carefully enough to add comments in the appropriate places and to answer questions.

Finally they were able to go back and get the photos. Daniel bounced on his toes as Jack paid for the photos, impatient to see them. "Can I see?" he pleaded.

"In a minute." Jack finished the transaction and then moved away from the counter. He crouched down next to Daniel and opened the packet, going straight to the last pictures taken.

"That's me!" Daniel exclaimed, a grin on his face, pleased as punch. "Look, Jack!"

"I'm looking," Jack replied, aware of the glances they were receiving from other customers, mainly doting ones from the grandparents. Since he was used to not drawing attention - at least in Special Ops - he was uncomfortable with it. But at least Daniel wasn't throwing a tantrum; that would be worse.

"Can we go to Grandma Iris' now?" Daniel asked, still admiring the photos.

"Yes, we can." Taking Daniel's hand, Jack led Daniel back to the car and then strapped him into the booster seat. Then he got out one of the new CD's and put it in the CD player before finally starting the engine.

"What's this?" Daniel questioned as the first song started playing.

"They're called 'The Wiggles'," Jack stated, sparing a glance for the CD cover. "Just listen, okay?"

"Okay." It was different to the kind of music Daniel had heard in Egypt but he was willing to give it a chance.

The next forty-five minutes were relatively quiet as Daniel listened to and absorbed the songs. A few times, he was able to pick up the words quickly and sing along with the choruses.

Jack winced as Daniel sung with enthusiasm but little tune. But so long as it kept the kid occupied, he wasn't going to complain... yet.

"Again, Jack, again!" Daniel shouted when the CD stopped.

Jack pressed the 'play' button again, and Daniel bounced with delight. With Thoth dancing on his lap, Daniel started singing along with the CD again. He even managed to change the words into Egyptian a couple of times when he knew what the words were, pretending that Thoth was singing.

Jack marvelled at his little brother's intelligence; how many kids that age could do that? Heck, even _he_ wouldn't be able to do it that quickly.

"Hot potato, hot potato," Daniel sung enthusiastically, his legs swinging in time to the music.

Seeing that they were rapidly approaching Denver, Jack said - with some relief, "Daniel, you'll have to be quiet now. We're about to enter the city and I need to concentrate."

"Okay." As Jack switched off the CD, Daniel turned his attention to the scenery out the window. "It looks big," he commented in awe.

"It is," Jack replied. "Now let me concentrate."

Daniel mimed zipping his lips, a gesture his father had taught him. He was quiet for all of two minutes before asking, "Is it far to Grandma's house?"

"Not far," Jack said briefly.

After waiting another couple of minutes, Daniel queried, "Are we there yet?"

"Dan-iel," Jack warned, so not wanting to get into the cycle of repetitive questions. "What did I tell you?"

Subdued by the tone of voice, Daniel held Thoth close and whispered to him, "It's okay, he just needs to con-cen-trate."

Jack couldn't hear the words but he could see in the rear-vision mirror that Daniel wasn't happy. He felt guilty about that but he couldn't really do anything about it at the moment.

When they pulled up at Iris' house, Jack turned to look at the quiet kid. "I'm sorry I growled," he apologised. "But I needed to concentrate on getting here." City driving as always difficult, especially when one was taking into account the safety of one's passenger.

"I know," Daniel said, nodding his head. "Was I good?"

"You did very well to stay quiet," Jack praised him. He got out and went into the back where Daniel was, helping him out of the seatbelt. "All ready to meet Grandma Iris?"

Daniel nodded again but stuck his thumb in his mouth. Now that he was here, he was a little nervous.

Seeing the action, Jack lifted Daniel out of the car and kept hold of him. Then he went around to the trunk and opened it one-handed.

"Jack!" Iris stepped out of the house and started down the driveway. "You made good time." She was a head shorter than Jack, with short wavy white hair, brown eyes, and a nicely plump figure.

"Hi, Grandma." Jack stooped awkwardly to give the smaller woman a kiss on the cheek when she reached him. "This is Daniel."

"Hello, Daniel," Iris said, a smile on her face.

"Hello," Daniel replied, taking his thumb out of his mouth. "Are you Grandma Iris?"

"Indeed I am." She noted how adorable he looked with the floppy hair and glasses, and her smile grew even larger. "And Grandpa Tom is inside."

Daniel's eyes widened. "I have a new grandpa too?"

"Yes, you do," Iris replied, amused at the response.

Wow, he was getting lots of new stuff this week! Some of Daniel's excitement came back. "I drawed a picture for you," he informed her.

"You'll have to show me when we're inside." Iris helped Jack gather up the bags and handed the blanket to Daniel. "Is this yours?"

"Yep." Daniel held onto it carefully without dropping Thoth. "It keeps me warm."

Iris smiled again at him. "It's beautiful." Oh, Daniel was so cute! She was going to have no trouble whatsoever adopting him as her own grandson. "Let's go inside and meet Grandpa Tom, and then you can show me your picture."

Daniel bounced in Jack's arms. "Go, Jack!" he said, urging his brother to move.

"What am I, a horse?" Jack muttered as he followed Iris into the house and through to the living room where an old man sat in one of the easy chairs. "Hi, Grandpa."

"Jack! It's good to see you!" Tom slowly stood - at nearly eighty, his bones weren't what they used to be - and greeted his grandson. Because of his stoop, Tom was now an inch shorter than Jack. "And this must be Daniel," he continued, turning his attention to the little boy.

Daniel nodded, staring at the old man. "You're old," he observed.

"Daniel!" Jack scolded. "That's not polite."

Tom just chuckled at Daniel's comment and Jack's reaction. "Yes, I am old," he agreed, not offended in the least.

Iris came back from the spare bedroom where she had put the bags and said, "Jack, come and put those things down."

"Yes, Grandma." Jack followed her into the bedroom. One of the two single beds had some bags on it. The other...

"A camel!" Daniel exclaimed and started wriggling, wanting to get down. When Jack set him down, Daniel ran over to the bed, put Thoth carefully on it and then retrieved the camel, hugging it to his chest. "Is he yours, Grandma?"

"Actually, Daniel, he's yours," Iris replied, pleased that her gift had been received so well. "I'm sure he'll have much more fun with you than with me."

Daniel only half-listened to the last part as he was reading the tag attached to the toy. "Listen to this: There's one thing that I know is true/Camels can have one hump or two/Either way, we love to play/Out in the desert sun all day!" he said, bouncing up and down as he read. "That's just like the Pharaoh Khufu 'cept he wasn't a camel."

"Really?" Iris pretended surprise. "How about that?"

"Daniel, say thank you to Grandma," Jack reminded his little brother.

"Thank you, Grandma," Daniel said obediently, giving his new grandmother a hug around her hips. "I'm going to show Grandpa Tom!"

Shyness gone, he sped off towards the door then abruptly halted and turned back to face his brother. "Jack, can you please find the pictures but don't show Grandma yet because I want to show Grandpa too." Without waiting for a reply, he sped off again.

"He's a bundle of energy, that one," Iris commented, thinking that Daniel was exactly what Jack needed, and that there was already a hint of paternal instincts evident in her natural grandson's behaviour.

"Tell me about it," Jack said dryly. "By the way," he added as he went to the search for the requested items, "you didn't have to get him a toy."

Iris just waved off-handedly. "I wanted to. Besides, when I saw that camel, I just knew it was meant for Daniel." And she had been right.

"I just don't want him to think he'll keep getting new things," Jack explained, thinking of the tantrums that would occur when they stopped coming.

"Why? How many new things have you given him?" Iris asked shrewdly.

Jack couldn't look his grandmother in the eye as he mumbled, "A few. But they were necessities," he added in a louder, more defensive tone.

"Well then, there's no problem, is there?" Satisfied she had made her point, Iris headed for the door.

Wondering how he had lost the argument, Jack retrieved the pictures and then headed towards the living room/.

Daniel was busy explaining to Tom about the Pharaoh Khufu when Jack arrived. He broke off mid-sentence and took the photos out of Jack's hand. "This is my jigsaw," he said proudly, showing it to his new grandparents, who made appropriately proud comments. "I did it all by myself."

"That's very clever of you," Iris stated, squeezing the boy's shoulders in a one-armed hug.

"Jack's going to get me a bigger one next time until I can do the really big one with pyramids on it," Daniel informed them, not seeing Jack roll his eyes. "I like puzzles."

"And you're very good at them too," Iris agreed. "Now, what is the other photo of?"

"This is my room. That's my bed and my bookshelf and my books and arty-facts," Daniel explained, pointing to each item.

"And who's this on the bed?" Tom asked, remembering the bear that Daniel had been carrying before.

"That's Thoth. Mommy and Daddy gave him to me for Christmas. I'll show you." With that, Daniel ran back to the bedroom to retrieve his bear.

He quickly came back with Thoth in one hand and Khufu in the other. Holding the bear out to Tom, he said, "This is Thoth."

Tom nodded approvingly. "He's a very handsome bear," he stated solemnly.

"He's very smart," Daniel continued, turning now to Iris. "He can speak Ancient Egyptian because he's the god of wisdom. Do you think Khufu can too?"

"I think so," Iris agreed with a gentle smile. "Why don't you ask him?"

"Okay." Daniel proceeded to ask the camel if it could speak the language - in Egyptian - and then made Khufu reply the same way. "He can," Daniel then informed his grandparents in English.

Iris and Tom shared a glance but before they could say anything, Daniel had moved onto the next topic - his drawing. He laid it on the table and, pointing to the people, stated, "This is me, and this is Mommy and Daddy. They're angels now but they can still see and hear me when I want to talk to them."

Iris had to swallow a lump in her throat and even Tom was moved by the innocence of that statement.

When Daniel looked up and saw that Grandma Iris was sad, he patted her arm in sympathy. "It's okay to be sad," he stated, feeling a little bit unhappy himself. "But not all the time 'cos then they'd be sad too." He had figured out that if they could see him, then they wouldn't like him being sad all the time so sometimes he had to be happy.

"Oh, Daniel, you are a treasure," Iris commented, feeling a swell of love for the child. She drew him into a hug and held on tight for a few moments as she recovered her composure.

"That he is," Tom agreed from his chair. He looked over at Jack and found that his grandson wasn't there. Silently indicating to Iris where he was going, Tom stood up and went to find Jack.

He found the younger man standing on the back verandah, leaning against the railing and staring into space. Tom went forward to stand beside Jack, then asked, "And how are you coping?"

"Fine." Jack quickly wiped a hand across his damp eyes; he didn't want to be caught crying.

Tom saw the gesture and sighed. "You know, I don't know who taught you to hold your emotions in but it's not good for you."

"I'm fine," Jack repeated, still not looking at his grandfather. Emotions made one weak and in Special Ops, that wasn't a good thing.

"No, you're not," Tom stated, "and that's okay. As you told Daniel, it's okay to be sad."

"He's just a kid," Jack tried to excuse the difference.

"So? Both of you just lost your mother. You're not going to be weak if you allow yourself to grieve for her," Tom continued, seeing his words were striking the mark.

Jack shook his head; he didn't need to cry to grieve his mother's loss, he didn't. He had his own way of coping, and one of those ways was to find a distraction. "I thought you were of the old school where men didn't cry."

"Whoever made up that rule should have been shot," Tom replied, thinking back on all the occasions when he had followed that maxim. His way of coping had been going out to the shed and banging things together, which had been a lot better than taking it out on his family, but he had known men who had done the latter. He didn't approve of the whole 'stoic' thing, and hated that Jack felt it was necessary.

"Grandpa..."

"No-one here is going to judge you," Tom said gently, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We all understand how it feels to lose someone."

Jack ducked his head as he struggled to keep control of his emotions. "Don't," he warned hoarsely, finding that tenderness was harder to fight against than torture.

Recognising that Jack was not far away from crying, Tom made a strategic withdrawal. "Just remember what I said." With those final words, he left and went back to the living room.

Iris looked at her husband of more than fifty years and knew immediately what he had been doing. Wordlessly, she and Tom swapped places, the latter sitting down with Daniel, who was in full flow about the pharaohs of Egypt, and Iris left for the back verandah.

After Tom had left, Jack had sat down, his back against the railing, and let his emotions out. He had been coping with Claire's death well until Daniel had come along, and now he couldn't even control himself. He could feel the pain inside him, the knowledge that he would never see his mother again, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness at the thought of having to raise Daniel.

Two arms enfolded him and pulled him against a smaller body. Without opening his eyes, he knew Iris had come to sit with him, to comfort him, and deep down he was grateful for that. He didn't want her to see him like this but he couldn't help it; now that the floodgates had opened, he couldn't stop crying.

And so they sat there as Jack finally allowed himself to grieve properly.


	16. A Park, a Movie and some Sad Truths

**Part 16 - A Park, A Movie and Some Sad Truths**

"...and Thoth's real name is Djehuty but they changed his name so it was easier to say," Daniel put his own spin on the real reason the god of wisdom's name had been altered. He had been eagerly relating stories to his new grandfather, and had progressed to sitting in the old man's lap after a couple of minutes. "And the Greeks changed Khufu's name to Cheops which isn't easier to say, and it's confusing 'cos then people don't know who's s'pposed to have builded the pyramids."

"Well, I'm glad you've explained it to me, Daniel," Tom said without a hint of condescension. He couldn't believe the amount of information stored in the young child's mind.

"Daddy used to tell me lots of stories but I don't 'member them all but Mommy writed some of them down in my al-pha-bet book so I could learn them," Daniel continued, totally at ease in Grandpa Tom's company. He picked up one of his grandfather's hands and examined it. "Are your fingers waterlogged?" he asked, seeing all the wrinkles.

Tom chuckled at the strange question. "No, they're just old like the rest of me," he replied.

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Jack says that I shouldn't put my thumb in my mouth because it will get all wrinkly like when I stay in the bath for a long time."

"It just might," Tom agreed, putting that piece of information away to tell Iris later.

"Where's Jack?" Daniel queried, suddenly realising that his brother wasn't nearby. He stiffened, frightened that Jack had gone away and left him, and his thumb automatically went into his mouth.

Realising that Daniel was worried about something, Tom rubbed his back and said, "He's out the back with Grandma Iris. They'll come back in soon."

"He no go away?" Daniel asked in a small voice, reverting briefly to toddler-speak.

"No, he's going to stay right here with you," Tom reassured him, knowing what this was about. Iris had told him about the phonecall from Jack this morning, and he understood that Daniel was still in a fragile state.

Daniel rested his head against Grandpa Tom's broad chest, comforted a little by those words and by the man's presence. "Don't want Jack to go 'way," he said around his thumb.

"I know, sport, I know." His heart hurting for the little boy's loss, Tom continued to rub Daniel's back. Although he was a devout Catholic, he couldn't help but wonder why God had allowed Claire and Melburn to be taken away from this precious child.

"Wanna see him." Daniel wanted to make sure with his own eyes that Jack was still around.

Tom wasn't sure if that was such a good idea. "It might not be a good time," he told Daniel. "I think Jack might be sad right now."

"Then I'll hug him," Daniel stated. He took his thumb out of his mouth and slipped off Grandpa Tom's lap. "Show me," he asked firmly, not knowing where to go.

Tom carefully stood up and took Daniel's little hand in his. Then they slowly made their way down the hall until they reached the back door. They could hear sobbing sounds and Daniel reached up to turn the door handle. "Jack's sad. I'm going to help."

When the door opened, Daniel ran out and knelt down next to his big brother, placing his toys on the decking and then putting his hands on Jack's thigh. "Jack, don't be sad," he instructed.

Upon hearing Daniel's voice, Jack made a valiant effort to stop crying. Amazingly, although he still felt grief, a weight had been lifted off his heart at the freedom to let his emotions out. He moved out of Iris' embrace and sat up to look at Daniel. "Hey. Why aren't you inside?" he asked, running a thumb under his eyes to get rid of the residual tears.

"I missed you," Daniel stated simply and then crawled onto Jack's lap to hug his brother.

Iris gestured silently to her husband with a tilt of her head and then they went inside, leaving the two alone.

"Don't go away again," Daniel ordered; he needed to have Jack close by at the moment.

Jack sighed as he rested his chin on the top of Daniel's head and put his arms around the boy. "I'm still here," he reassured his brother. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." Daniel shifted slightly so he could fetch the teddy bear from the wooden decking. "Would you like to hold Thoth?" he offered generously.

"How about you hold onto him for me and I'll hold onto you?" Jack suggested, shifting his arms slightly to accommodate Daniel's change of position.

"Okay," Daniel agreed. He curled up in Jack's lap and snuggled against his chest, feeling the strong arms hold him firmly there. He liked this feeling; it was almost like being held by his Daddy.

Iris and Tom watched the tableau for a few minutes from a window and then moved discreetly away, knowing that everything was going to be fine.

The two brother remained sitting silently together for a while until Daniel piped up and said, "I'm hungry."

A small chuckle escaped Jack and he felt his spirits lift a little. "So'm I," he stated, reaching one hand up to gently ruffle Daniel's hair. "But I don't think it's lunchtime yet."

"Oh." Daniel thought about that. "Can I have a drink?"

"Sure." Jack slowly stood, keeping Daniel in his arms, and started to head inside.

"Wait! Khufu!" Daniel exclaimed, pointing to the toy camel that was still sitting on the decking.

Jack went back and picked it up, then handed it to Daniel.

"Thank you." Daniel held both toys tightly using one arm as the other was wound around Jack's neck. He was feeling quite proud of himself for helping Jack not feel sad anymore.

They went into the kitchen where Iris was busy getting lunch ready. "Just getting a drink," Jack told her as he sat down Daniel down on the bench under the cupboards.

Iris nodded. "I've got milk, orange juice, apple juice and lemon cordial," she listed, having stocked up for the long weekend.

Deciding to go for the easiest option, Jack got the orange juice out of the fridge. Then he got two glasses down from the cupboard and poured the juice into them.

"Thank you," Daniel said politely as Jack handed him a glass. The toys were put to one side so that he could drink his juice.

"How do you feel?" Iris asked Jack quietly, noticing that he seemed more relaxed now.

"Better," Jack admitted. "Tell Grandpa he was right." Letting emotions out could be good - on occasion.

Iris knew that Jack wouldn't tell Tom that himself so she nodded; men were so stubborn when it came to their feelings. "So, is there anything Daniel doesn't eat?" she inquired.

Jack filled her in on Daniel's allergies while the little boy listened. When Jack had finished, Daniel tugged on his sleeve and said in loud whisper, "Are you going to tell Grandma about pup-kins?" He didn't know whether Jack still expected him to try the pumpkin pie or not.

"Don't you like pumpkin?" Iris questioned, having heard the whisper.

Daniel looked to Jack for advice, uncertain whether he should say anything else.

"Uh, no, he doesn't," Jack replied for his brother. "But he's willing to give pumpkin pie a try tomorrow."

"Jack says it's tradish-un," Daniel stated, not wanting to hurt Grandma's feelings. But his expression unknowingly conveyed his opinion on the matter.

Iris hid a smile as she leaned in conspiratorially. "You know what? Grandpa Tom doesn't like pumpkin either so I only give him a tiny slice on Thanksgiving. How about I do the same for you?"

Eyes wide at this knowledge, Daniel nodded. He could try a tiny piece if Grandpa Tom did.

That sorted, Iris organised the vegetables while Daniel finished his drink. Then she sent him off - with directions - to wash his hands before lunch. When he was out of earshot, she said to Jack, "Please tell me you're keeping him."

Jack winced; he had hoped to avoid this for a little while longer. "Grandma..."

"That boy loves you," she interrupted. 'And you will make a wonderful father."

"That's just it!" Jack complained, keeping his voice down. "I don't want to be a father yet! And besides, Daniel is my brother, not my son! I _can't_ be a father to him! He deserves to have someone he can actually call Dad! Otherwise, what's going to happen he gets older and tells me I can't tell him what to do because I'm not his father?" _That counted Nick out_, he realised; there was no way Daniel's grandfather would be able to fill the role of father either.

"Jack--"

"All clean!" Daniel called, coming back into the kitchen. "Look!" He held his hands out to Grandma Iris for inspection then turned to show Jack. That was when he realised that something was wrong. Suddenly nervous, he put his thumb in his mouth and looked up at Jack's angry face. What was going on?

Seeing Daniel's reaction, Jack consciously made his anger dissipate. He crouched down next to his little brother and gently tugged the thumb out of his mouth. "It's okay, kiddo," he tried to reassure Daniel.

"Are you angry with Grandma?" Daniel asked, still worried.

"Not really," Jack replied, not wanting to go into details. "Don't worry about it, I'm okay. Now - show me those clean hands," he changed the subject.

When Daniel obeyed, Jack made a show of inspecting them. "Hmm, they seem to be adequate," he pronounced judgement in a mock-solemn voice.

"What's adequ... adeki... what's that mean?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Adequate means pretty good," Jack explained.

Daniel inspected his own hands. "Does that mean I should wash them again?" He couldn't see any dirt on them.

"Nah, they'll be fine," Jack said, pleased that the distraction had worked.

Happy with that, Daniel took Jack's hands and looked them over. "Uh-oh, your hands are dirty. You have to go wash them," he ordered.

Jack stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, sir!" Then he spun on his heel and marched away.

Daniel giggled at Jack's behaviour. "He's silly," he commented to Grandma Iris, forgetting - for the moment - all about the scene he had interrupted.

"Yes, he is," Iris agreed. _But he is also very good with Daniel_, she noted silently before she got the little boy to help her set the table.

When Jack came back, Daniel stopped what he was doing and went over to inspect his big brother's hands. "They're adequ... what's the word again, Jack?"

"Adequate," Jack replied, hiding his grin at Daniel's 'inspection'.

"Ad-e-quit," Daniel repeated slowly, getting it almost right. "I helped set the table," he happily informed Jack.

"Well done," Jack praised as he and Daniel went over to the table for lunch.

Iris was subdued during the lunch of sandwiches and salad, thinking about what Jack had said. Was it fair to deprive Daniel of having a proper set of parents? She didn't know the answer to that. It might not matter so much now but when Daniel got older, would he resent that? Iris realised that Jack must have given some thought to these questions too. So how could they decide what was the best thing for Daniel?

The little boy filled the dinner table with plenty of chatter, telling his grandparents all about shopping and day-care. Jack had to remind him a couple of times not to eat with his mouth full but even that hardly slowed Daniel down.

After lunch everyone adjourned to the living room for some quiet time. Tom explained to Daniel that they always had a rest after lunch and sometimes a nap. Daniel was surprised at that; he didn't think that grown-ups needed to take naps! However, he got out his alphabet book to work quietly while everyone else read.

After a while, he looked up and noticed that Grandpa Tom was asleep, a book lying open on his chest. Daniel watched for a minute, fascinated by the up-and-down movements. Then he turned to Jack, who was sitting on the couch, and whispered loudly, "Grandpa forgot to put his book away."

"Huh?" Jack's attention was pulled from the article in the fishing magazine he had brought with him and he glanced over to where Daniel was pointing. "Oh. That's okay, it'll be fine."

"Should we move it?" Daniel had been taught to respect his books and never leave them lying open like that.

"No, just let Grandpa sleep," Jack replied before turning his attention back to the magazine. He had only read a few words when he felt a weight on his right thigh. Looking down, he saw that Daniel had curled up next to him - minus glasses and shoes - and was using his thigh as a pillow. "Uh, wouldn't you be more comfortable with a cushion?" he asked quietly.

"No." Daniel squirmed around a bit to find the right position. He had decided that if Grandpa Tom could sleep in a chair - and Grandma Iris wasn't far off - then he could too. Once settled, he gave a big yawn, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Jack found it a little awkward because he couldn't rest his magazine on his thighs any longer. How was he going to read it? His eyes settled on the coffee table - perfect. He carefully leaned forward so as not to disturb Daniel and put the magazine on the table. Then, resting one hand on Daniel's shoulder, continued to read his article.

Before Iris closed her eyes, she saw the paternal gesture and smiled; everything would work out - she was sure of it.

After an hour or so, everyone was awake again. Daniel, especially, was full of energy. He had been pleased to find that Jack hadn't moved him while he had been asleep as he wouldn't have liked waking up in a strange bedroom by himself.

Tom made the suggestion of going to the park. Daniel's face lit up. "Is that like a dig site?" he asked with enthusiasm. He missed running around with his friends in Egypt and helping his parents excavate artifacts.

"Not exactly," Jack replied from his place on the couch. "Remember the playground at day-care?" Daniel nodded. "Well, it's like that but bigger and more grass."

"Oh." Daniel's enthusiasm deflated a little when he realised he wasn't going to get to excavate anything but then he perked up again when he realised he could go on the slide and swings.

"Jack, why don't you help Daniel get ready?" Iris suggested, seeing that her eldest grandson hadn't moved from the couch.

Daniel liked this idea and started tugging on Jack's hand, eager to get going. "Come on!"

Reluctantly, Jack let Daniel lead him to the bedroom. He had been hoping for a bit of time alone but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. He helped Daniel put the coat on and then they hunted down the sneakers, which Daniel had taken off before his nap. Then he sent Daniel off to the bathroom so he could talk to Iris about not going.

When she saw the expression on Jack's face, Iris knew what he was going to say. "Grandpa can't go, and Daniel needs someone energetic enough to play with him. Besides, it will do you good to get out of the house."

"But if he gets too attached--" Jack tried to protest.

"He's already attached," Iris pointed out. "Now, go put your coat on."

A few minutes later, the three of them headed out the front door. Because his body wasn't what it used to be, Tom would be staying home and pottering around in the garden.

Daniel walked between the two adults, one hand in each of theirs. He skipped happily along, peering at all the houses that they passed and asking lots of questions about the gardens. Jack, bearing in mind that Daniel had an allergy to pollen, kept his little brother away from the flowers just in case. Daniel was oblivious to that, just happy to be out with Jack and Grandma Iris.

When they got to the park, Daniel was excited. There was a slide and swings, and nearby there was a big sandpit with a lot of other children in it. As they drew closer to it though, he started to get nervous. There were so many people around - what if he lost Jack and Grandma Iris? He clung tighter to their hands, not wanting to let go.

"What would you like to do first, Danny?" Jack asked as he surveyed the park, not really registering the increased pressure on his hand. When there was no answer, he looked down at the kid. "Daniel?"

"Don't know," Daniel muttered, eyeing all the children running around.

Iris, however, had noticed the clinginess. She squeezed his hand and said, "We'll be right where you can see us the whole time."

"Promise?" Daniel looked up at his new grandmother.

"I promise," Iris stated, a gentle smile on her face. "So, what do you want to try first?"

Daniel glanced around and saw that the slide didn't have too many people on it. Maybe that would do to start with. "The slide?" he said, a hint of a question in his voice.

"The slide it is," Iris agreed, squeezing his hand again.

They all went over to the slide. Daniel craned his neck to see the top of it. "It's bigger," he stated as he watched some children his age slide down it.

"Do you still want to try it?" Iris asked, seeing the hesitation. "Jack will wait down the bottom for you if you want."

Jack shot his grandmother a look but asked Daniel, "Do you want me to do that, kiddo?"

Daniel continued staring at the slide for a few more seconds before nodding. "Uh-huh." There were a few parents standing near the bottom of the slide waiting for their children so he figured that he wouldn't be the only one.

Iris took Daniel over to the metal rungs leading up to the slide while Jack went to the other end. She waited while Daniel climbed the rungs and gave him an encouraging smile when he reached the top.

Daniel looked warily down the slide; it was a long way down. And Jack was waiting for him as promised so he had to go down, he couldn't back out. Taking a deep breath, Daniel sat down and then inched forward until he started to slide. Then all of a sudden, he was at the bottom being steadied by Jack, his stomach funny.

"You did it!" Jack praised, ruffling Daniel's hair and grinning at the stunned look on the kid's face. He remembered loving the slide when he was young but not being afraid of it. But then, he hadn't grown up in Egypt where slides would be scarce.

"Well done, Daniel," Iris came over and added her praise.

Now that it was over, Daniel started to feel proud of himself. Besides his stomach feeling a little funny, that had been fun, and it was a bigger slide than at day-care so that meant he was braver. "Can I do it again?"

"Go for it," Jack replied.

Daniel rushed off and climbed back up again. This time he only hesitated for a second before sliding down, coming to an abrupt stop at the bottom as Jack caught him. "This is fun!" he exclaimed before heading off for another go.

"Didn't take him long to get the hang of it," Jack observed dryly.

Iris didn't reply as she watched Daniel confidently climb the rungs to the top. He still needed the reassurance that his world was stable and when he had that, then he was fine.

They stayed at the slide for a while, and then they took Daniel over to the see-saw. Jack got on one end while Iris helped Daniel onto the other with instructions to hold on tight, then he proceeded to show his little brother to demonstrate how the see-saw worked. Daniel had a few moments of panic when his feet left the ground but when he realised that Jack wasn't going too high, and that Grandma Iris was nearby to catch him, he let himself enjoy this new thing.

The swings were next, and Jack pushed Daniel reasonably high before sitting down on the next seat and swinging alongside his little brother. He taught Daniel how to use his legs to go higher, and the two of them had a competition to see who could go the highest. Jack, of course, kept pace with Daniel after seeing his grandmother's worried expression; she didn't want Daniel to go too high and fall off.

Finally, they took Daniel over to the sandpit to play while his stomach was recovering from the swings. He didn't feel sick but his stomach felt kind of tingly and he didn't know why. But that was soon forgotten as he tried building a pyramid with the slightly damp sand. He didn't really succeed but he had a lot of fun trying, and was pleased when Grandma Iris tried to help him.

They went home about mid-afternoon, Daniel once again between the two adults, swinging on their hands and again talking enthusiastically about his 'adventures' in the park as though the others hadn't been there.

When they got home, Jack had barely got Daniel out of his coat before the little boy ran into the living room to tell Grandpa Tom all about the park. Iris got her two grandsons a drink of orange juice, and coffee for herself and Tom. They all sat around for a while as they drank their beverages, Daniel drawing them into conversations.

After that, Jack decided to try Daniel out with a video. He got the Aladdin one out of the bag and then put it in the video machine.

"What's that?" Daniel asked as the movie started playing.

"It's called 'Aladdin'. It's about a genie and a magic lamp," Jack explained, settling down on the couch.

"How about you come and watch with me?" Tom suggested, patting his lap in invitation.

Daniel liked that idea. He climbed up onto Tom's lap and settled back against his chest, ready to watch this strange thing called a movie. "Why are they singing?" he asked almost straightaway.

"It's another way to tell a story," Tom replied.

Liking stories, Daniel tried to listen to the words. Soon, he was engrossed in the magical tale, only getting worried when Jafar came on the screen. "He's bad," Daniel whispered to Tom, turning slightly to subconsciously get more comfort from the old man.

"Yes, he is," Tom agreed, enjoying the movie as much as the little boy. And, of course, enjoying how much trust Daniel had placed in him by the simple act of sitting with him.

There were other comments and questions from Daniel throughout the movie as he watched the story unfold. Jack, who was half-watching it, was a little jealous that Daniel hadn't chosen to sit with him like last night but then he reminded himself that he didn't want to get used to that. Daniel could sit with whoever he chose.

"Do magic lamps really exist?" Daniel asked Tom when the movie was over. He had thoroughly liked the story except for the bad man. "Can we get one?"

Tom chuckled. "If they exist, I think they're hidden where no-one can find them," he answered.

"I'm going to find one," Daniel decided. "I'm going to be an archaeol'gist like Mommy and Daddy, and find a magic lamp. Then the genie will give me three wishes and I'll wish for Mommy and Daddy to come back, and that Jack comes to live with us, and that I can have a baby camel for a pet." Those were the three most important things he could think of.

Tom looked over at Jack to see how he had taken that statement and found a stoic mask in place. _He's reverted back_, Tom thought to himself with a sigh. Turning his attention back to Daniel, he said, "That's a wonderful idea. Would Grandma Iris and I be able to visit?"

"Yep! And there'll be a flying carpet that you can ride on too," Daniel informed him, excited by the whole scenario. "I'll show you!" He raced off to get his drawing things.

Just before dinner was ready, Daniel finished his picture. In the middle of it was himself seated on a baby camel - or something that kind of resembled one - with his parents flanking him. Jack stood next to Claire, saluting, and Tom and Iris were next to Melburn, standing on a flying carpet. He proudly showed his grandfather and Jack, and then took it out to the kitchen where Grandma Iris was. "Look what I drawed, Grandma!"

"Oh, that's wonderful, Daniel," Iris praised, taking time to look at it properly. She listened as the little boy proudly explained what it was about, and her heart melted at the three wishes. "How about we put that up where everyone can see it?" she suggested.

"On the fridge?" When Iris nodded, Daniel beamed with happiness; his grandma knew about the special place for drawings. He let her take the picture and stick it to the fridge with magnets. "What are those?" he asked, pointing to the funny-shaped magnets.

"The dolphins? They're mammals that live in the sea," Iris explained.

"Like fish and crocodiles?" Daniel made the connection with the animals he knew.

"More like the fish," Iris stated with a smile. "Now, can you help me set the table?"

"Yes!" Daniel bounced a couple of times, eager to be a help. He took the cutlery from Iris and went over to the table, solemnly putting each one in the right place.

"Good boy," Iris praised when he came back to her. "Now go and wash your hands, and then tell Grandpa Tom and Jack to come to dinner."

"Okay." Daniel raced off to the bathroom and washed his hands. Then he ran into the living room and said, "Grandma Iris says come to dinner!" With that, he ran back to the dining room and settled himself at the table.

Dinner was home-made fish-and-chips, which Daniel enthusiastically ate. Then after dinner - and after the dishes had been washed, dried and put away - his grandparents showed him and Jack the jacuzzi that had been installed at one end of the back verandah.

"So that's why you suggested the bathing suits," Jack commented as he checked out the glass doors that could be closed in winter to keep the heat in.

Tom nodded. "My doctor suggested a soak in this every day wouldn't do me any harm," he explained, thinking about how stiff his muscles got during the cold weather.

"Wow, that's a big bath!" Daniel exclaimed, moving closer to examine the jacuzzi. "Why is it so big?"

"So that several people can enjoy it all at once," Iris replied, keeping a hold of Daniel's hand so that he didn't accidentally fall in.

"Can we go in it now?" Daniel queried, eager to try this new type of bath even though there were a few things missing. "Where's the soap?"

"You don't need soap for this," Iris informed him, "because you'll be wearing your bathing suit."

Daniel tilted his head to look at her quizzically. "Why?" That was a strange bath indeed.

"You'll see," Iris said with a smile. "Jack, why don't you take Daniel and get changed?"

"Jack, why do we have to wear a bathing suit?" Daniel asked as he was led away.

Iris continued to smile; this was going to be interesting.

Jack tried to explain to Daniel that when people had 'baths' together, they wore bathing suits so that they weren't naked but the little boy still didn't understand why as when he had been in Egypt, he always went swimming naked - or occasionally in his underwear, he grudgingly admitted. So then Jack had to tell him that there were different rules in the US, which satisfied Daniel, who knew all about rules.

A few minutes later, everyone congregated back at the jacuzzi. Iris got in first and helped Daniel down the couple of steps. Tom followed her, and finally Jack, who had stayed out to close the glass doors. Four towels were waiting on a chair nearby for when they got out.

When the bubbles were tuned on, Daniel jumped with surprise. Once he got over that, he started exploring, putting his hands near where the bubbles were coming out and giggling when it tickled his skin. Then he climbed around the jacuzzi, kneeling on the seats, going from one person to another to check out the bubbles there.

"Jack, can we get one?" he asked after a few minutes, deciding that this was really fun and he wanted to do this every day!

"Not at the moment," Jack replied, knowing that jacuzzis weren't cheap and besides which, he didn't have room for one at his house.

"Please?" Daniel gazed at Jack and put on a pleading expression.

"Maybe later," Jack stated, evading giving a definite answer.

Semi-satisfied with this answer, Daniel went back to roaming around the jacuzzi, amusing his grandparents with his antics.

By the time everyone got out of the jacuzzi, Daniel was yawning. "Time for bed," Iris decided as she wrapped him in a towel and gave him a rub-down. "Do you want me to read you a story?"

Daniel nodded sleepily. "And Jack," he added, wanting his brother to be there too.

"I think we can manage that." Iris led Daniel inside and helped him to get changed into his pyjamas - which she thought were adorable. Then she assisted him with his nightly bathroom ritual while Jack was getting changed in the bedroom, and finally tucked Daniel into one of the spare beds. "This one?" she asked, holding up a book that Daniel had brought with him.

"Uh-huh." Daniel yawned again and snuggled under the covers, ready to listen. "Check for monsters," he reminded Grandma Iris.

After dutifully checking for monsters - and doing a more thorough job than Jack - Iris sat down next to him and started reading a story about David and Goliath. Jack sat at the end of the bed as instructed by Daniel and remembered all the times he had stayed at this house and his grandmother had read to him. It had been a wonderful time, full of love and laughter. _When had he grown out of that_, he wondered silently.

It wasn't long before Daniel was asleep. Iris and Jack quietly left the room, a night-light providing some illumination for when the latter wanted to go to bed, and for Daniel if he got scared.

Out in the living room, the three adults watched some television while Iris silently debated whether to ask Jack about his mother's death. Part of her - the morbidly curious part - wanted to know what had happened while the rest of her was arguing that she didn't really need to know. Finally, before she headed off to bed, she asked him.

Jack leaned against the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. He really didn't want to talk about this right now but he supposed he would have to; Iris never gave up on something once she wanted to know, and it would save a lot of questions and inquiries over the rest of the long weekend. "They were supervising the construction of a new exhibit when a coverstone fell on them. The chain snapped or something, and they couldn't get out of the way." Jack's chest tightened at the thought of the horrible accident; they had been instantly crushed... probably hadn't even known what hit them. Or at least that was what he preferred to think.

"Oh my!" Iris exclaimed softly, her imagination providing her with a picture of the accident. What a terrible thing to happen! "Does Daniel know?"

"Nope, and I'm not going to tell him for a long time," Jack stated firmly; the last thing Daniel needed right now was to know how his parents had died. "He has enough to cope with."

Iris nodded, upset for the little boy who had been so suddenly orphaned. "The funeral?"

"There wasn't one." Which was good in Jack's opinion because he didn't know how he could have gone to it. "They had left a note in their will saying they didn't want one, just a memorial service in Egypt." Jack's voice hitched at the thought. "They're buried in a cemetery in New York." Daniel could go see them when he was old enough.

This time it was Tom who nodded, understanding what Jack wasn't saying. "Are you alright, Jack?" he asked sympathetically.

"I'm fine," Jack said firmly, keeping his emotions in check. "Listen, I'm going to go out the back for a while. I'll lock up when I come in." Without waiting for a response, he stood up and left the room.

Iris considered following but sensed that Jack needed some time alone. Her heart aching for both her grandsons, she went to bed and prayed that they would all have the strength to get through this sad time.


	17. Thanksgiving, part 1

**Part 17 - Thanksgiving, part 1**

**Thursday, 27th November**

Jack had gone to bed late and spent the night sleeping fitfully, his mind conjuring up images of his mother being crushed under a large stone. The third time it happened, around three in the morning, he decided not to go back to sleep and so just lay there. Occasionally he would hear a little snuffle from Daniel, and cars going past in the street, but other than that things were quiet. And despite himself, he drifted off to sleep again around dawn.

Daniel woke around eight o'clock and heard sounds in the kitchen. Figuring that was probably Grandma Iris, he got up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and went over to Jack's bed. "Jack!"

"Hmm?"

"Jack!" Daniel stood a respectful distance away and so had to shout because he didn't want Jack to hit him again. "Wake up!"

"Wha?" Jack was pulled from the most restful sleep he'd had all night and he blinked groggily at the kid in front of him. "Daniel?"

"Grandma's cooking breakfast! Hurry up!" Now that he had made sure Jack was awake, Daniel put his monkey slippers on and hurried out to the kitchen. "Good morning, Grandma!" he said when he saw her.

Iris was stirring the porridge when Daniel walked in. "Good morning, Daniel. You're up late," she commented.

"So's Jack. He's just waked up," Daniel stated as he went over to his grandma, not mentioning his part in waking his brother. "Do you like my slippers? I chose them myself." He unsteadily held one foot out for inspection.

"They're lovely," Iris replied, thinking they suited Daniel well. "Do you want porridge this morning?"

"Yes, please! That's my favourite breakfast," Daniel said eagerly, rushing over to the table. "I'm ready!" he announced, legs swinging in anticipation.

Iris took one bowl over to Daniel and placed it in front of him. "Now be careful, it's still hot. Just let it cool down a bit before you eat it," she instructed him gently.

Daniel looked at his porridge and then up at his grandmother. He _really_ wanted to start eating right now.

"Can you count to sixty?" she asked. When Daniel nodded, she stated, "Count to sixty and then carefully try it, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel counted to sixty in his head, his lips moving silently, as fast as he could. Then he picked up his spoon and got some porridge. Remembering what his mother had taught him, he blew on it first to cool it down and then carefully ate the mouthful. "Del-ish-us!" he said, his mouth full of porridge.

Iris smiled at the enthusiastic young boy. "Why, thank you," she replied, sitting down opposite him. She and Tom had eaten breakfast an hour ago.

"Mommy always made me porridge," Daniel shared in between mouthfuls. "But Jack doesn't. He only eats Froot Loops." Which wasn't bad in his opinion but porridge was better because his mother made it.

"Yes, well, Jack wasn't brought up that way," Iris said, thinking about how she had raised her children on porridge but none of them passed that onto their own children. It was interesting that Claire had given Daniel porridge but hadn't with Jack; perhaps that had something to do with the countries the children were raised in. "But I'm sure if you ask him nicely, he'll make it for you."

"Okay."

Daniel finished off his breakfast and then went to find Jack, curious as to why his big brother hadn't arrived yet. He found Jack still in bed, the covers pulled up over his face. Daniel got up on the end of the bed and bounced a couple of times. "Jack!"

"What?" Jack said, annoyed. He hadn't gone back to sleep - much as he had wanted to - and hadn't appreciated the bouncing.

"It's breakfast time! I've already eaten mine so I'm going to go brush my teeth and then I'm going to watch 'Aladdin'," Daniel stated, sliding off the bed.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jack reached out and caught Daniel before he could go very far. "No watching TV in the morning," he ordered.

"Why?" Daniel wanted to see the movie again and learn the words to the songs.

"Because it's a rule and because it's bad for you." At least, that was what Jack had been told in his childhood, even if he hadn't always followed that rule. But he didn't want to listen to singing this morning and so he had decided to use that particular rule.

"Why is it bad?" Daniel queried, tilting his head in a quizzical look that Jack was becoming familiar with.

"Grandma will explain," Jack chickened out of providing a reason. "So go do the other stuff but no movie."

"You have a lot of rules," Daniel complained, unhappy that he wouldn't get to see the movie again.

"That's because I'm an adult. Adults have lots of rules," Jack stated, flopping back down again.

"I want a rule too," Daniel decided, thinking it was only fair. "My rule is..."

Jack got up, picked Daniel up and carried him into the bathroom. "Think while you brush," he instructed. Then he might have some quiet while he got dressed. Jack squeezed the toothpaste onto the brush and then left Daniel to it.

He had just finished getting dressed when Daniel rushed back into the bedroom. "I've thought of my rule, Jack. I get to eat ice-cream after dinner every night!" That seemed very fair to him. Without waiting for Jack's approval, Daniel went over to his backpack and started pulling out clothes, wanting to get dressed now that he had brushed his teeth.

"Daniel, that's not a proper rule," Jack told him tiredly, going over to the kid and stopping him from pulling everything out.

"Tis too," Daniel argued, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. He wanted to make up a rule and this was the one he had chosen.

"No, it isn't." Jack picked out the clothes for Daniel to wear and then drew the kid closer. "And stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking." Daniel paused and thought for a moment. "What's sulking?"

"What you're doing now," Jack replied, undoing the pyjama top since Daniel didn't look like he was going to help. "Now, if you get dressed, you can think of another rule after that," he compromised.

Daniel perked up a little at that. He let Jack dress him, helping where he could, so that he could think of another rule. "Can you help me, Jack?" he asked when he was ready.

"Help you what?" Jack brushed Daniel's hair quickly.

"Think of my rule," Daniel reminded Jack as he put his glasses on.

"Right." What on earth could he suggest as a rule that Daniel would agree with and wouldn't be a great inconvenience to himself? "Uh--"

"I know, I know!" Daniel said excitedly, bouncing up and down. "You have to read a story to me every night!"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Daniel, I do that anyway," he pointed out, not realising until the words were out of his mouth that he should have just agreed.

"But you don't do it with voices," Daniel informed him authoritatively. "You have to do it with voices." That was the best way to pull Daniel's imagination into the story.

"Okay," Jack agreed, deciding that this really wasn't a bad rule. "Your rule is that I have to read a story every night with voices."

"Thank you!" Daniel flung his arms around Jack and gave him a hug. "I'm going to tell Grandma!" And off he ran, thrilled that he had his own rule that Jack had to follow.

Jack slowly made his way out to the kitchen in time to hear Daniel exclaim, "-and he's going to do the voices and everything!"

"That sounds wonderful," Iris said, greeting Jack with a smile and handing him a bowl of porridge. "Good morning, Jack. I see you've been busy already." She had noticed that Daniel was dressed and his hair had been brushed already before Jack had even made it to the kitchen. She also approved of his strategy of letting Daniel create a rule so that the little boy felt that he had some control in his new life.

"I thought of another rule, Jack!" Daniel followed his big brother over to the table and climbed up onto the chair next to him, kneeling on it. "No smacking." That was something he never wanted to experience again.

Iris raised her eyebrows. "You smacked Daniel?" she asked Jack, surprised.

Jack shrugged in reply as he ate a mouthful of porridge. "Getting a smack never did me any harm." It had taught him very quickly what behaviour wasn't acceptable.

"Getting a smack and getting smacked around are two different things," Iris countered, coming to sit across from Jack. She knew what her son had been like, and the bruises she had occasionally seen on Jack's body hadn't been from simple smacks.

"Exactly." Jack didn't blink at her comment on his upbringing; that was in the past and he didn't think about it anymore. "It was just the once, Grandma." There was an edge to his voice; he resented her disapproval.

"Just make sure it's not more," Iris ordered, mollified a little but worried; she would hate to see Jack become his father. She headed back to the kitchen to start washing the dishes.

"So can we make it a rule?" Daniel asked, not completely understanding what the adults were talking about.

"Daniel... do you understand what a consequence is?" Jack queried.

"Uh-huh. It's when someone does something wrong and they have to do something they don't like to make up for it," the little boy summarised, speaking from experience. He hadn't often got into trouble but he hadn't liked the consequences - which was usually not going to the dig site for one day.

"Exactly. A smack is a consequence," Jack explained, giving Daniel his full attention. "It's very quick but it tells you when you do something bad. Most of the time, though, there'll be other consequences."

"Like what?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Like... not having ice-cream if you throw a tantrum," Jack quickly thought of something.

Daniel pouted at the thought of not getting ice-cream. But there could be an upside. "Does that mean I won't get a smack?" That consequence was much worse than missing ice-cream.

Jack found himself wanting to cave at Daniel's hopeful expression. "It means that you'll only get a smack if you're really, really bad," he compromised. "Okay?"

Daniel sat back on his heels and gave it some thought. Finally he nodded, deciding that he would try not to be really, really bad. "Okay," he gave verbal agreement.

"Good." Jack started eating again, pleased to have that worked out without too much hassle.

Deciding to have a private chat with Jack, Iris called to the little boy, "Daniel, I think Grandpa Tom mentioned something about setting up the train set. Why don't you go find him and see?"

"Okay!" Daniel jumped down and raced off.

Sensing something was up, Jack commented dryly, "So are you going to tell me I'm a bad parent?"

"No." Iris stopped doing the dishes and went to sit beside her grandson so she wouldn't have to shout. "In fact, you seem to be doing a pretty good job so far."

"But...?" Jack prompted.

"Just have patience with him and learn what he responds to best. And once you've made the rules, stick to them. Children need boundaries and they'll pick you up very quickly if you don't stick to them," Iris stated, speaking from experience. "It's also Daniel's way of testing you. If you didn't let him make any rules, then he would probably feel that you weren't going to keep him."

"I'm not--"

"Ah!" Iris cut him off, needing to demonstrate to Jack just how much Daniel was going to need him. "Let me tell you a story, Jack. You know how your Aunt Lizzie takes in foster children? The boy who's currently with her, Luke, lost his mother at the age of six. His father's whereabouts are unknown. For the last three years he has been bounced around foster care, unable to find someone to adopt him, especially after the first foster father physically abused him. Would you rather Daniel go to a strange home, or a bunch of strange homes, never truly part of the family, until maybe, possibly, someone decides to adopt him? Could you imagine him being fostered by someone who would beat him every day?"

Jack had to admit to himself that he hadn't really thought about that aspect; he had been mainly concentrating on how it would affect his life and - a little bit - about what Daniel needed. "Maybe he'll be lucky," he stated, his words lacking in conviction.

"He's an orphan at four, Jack - that's not lucky." Iris took Jack's hand in hers and squeezed it. "If he remains with you, he'll be able to talk about his parents with you because you'll remember them too. Adopted or foster parents won't. And you know Grandpa and I will always be on hand to help you," she assured him. "Between us, we'll raise Daniel to be a wonderful person."

"I'm not ready for this," Jack tried to protest, not wanting to think about the possibility of keeping Daniel. "And my job..."

"Stop thinking of excuses and consider how rich your life is going to be with Daniel in it," Iris ordered him. "And don't waste a moment of it because a child should always be cherished over hockey or television. If Daniel wants to spend time with you, then make the time to be with him regardless of whether you're watching some sporting finals or reading the paper. There'll be quiet time for you when he's asleep."

Jack winced internally as her words hit the mark. He wasn't sure he was unselfish enough to do that yet.

"Now, I'm going to go help with the train set. When you've finished breakfast, wash your dishes and then come join us." She stood, kissed the top of his head, and then left the room.

Jack stared at his porridge; he was going to have to do some serious thinking.

Daniel spent a wonderful hour with his new grandfather setting up and playing with the trains. He was fascinated with them, watching them go around the track time and time again, not getting tired of them at all. And he enjoyed spending time with Grandpa Tom, sitting next to him and laughing over nothing in particular.

Iris popped in and out in between getting the traditional Thanksgiving lunch ready and watched indulgently as her husband and Daniel played enthusiastically. She had heard Jack go out the back door soon after she had left earlier and hadn't heard him come back in yet. She just hoped that what she said had got through to him.

Just after nine thirty, Jack walked silently into the study where the train set had been constructed. He just stood in the doorway for a minute watching Daniel and seeing the enthusiasm on the young face. Jack couldn't remember the last time he had been that enthusiastic about anything and he found himself wanting to make sure that Daniel had plenty of good times to remember. Just as he thought that a kid should always have two parents who loved him or her, he also thought that they should enjoy childhood while they could. Daniel might have lost his parents but that didn't mean that he had to suffer for it.

Could he raise Daniel properly? His soul-searching had told him that he couldn't be any worse than his own father but he was still afraid of being a parent. Could he take on the responsibilities full-time and give Daniel a good life?

Daniel looked up then and smiled radiantly at his brother, full of pleasure. "Jack! Come and play!" he urged.

Jack obeyed, sitting down next to the kid, his heart pointing out that if he kept Daniel, he would see that smile every day. Daniel immediately leaned against him and filled him in about his morning, secure in his belief that his brother loved him. Jack listened attentively, taking his grandmother's advice and savouring every moment, marvelling that this little kid was his brother and that Daniel had accepted him into his life so easily. He put his arm around Daniel and hugged him to his side.

Yes, he could do this.

People started arriving at around eleven. Jack was playing football out the back with Daniel, teaching him the basic rules so he would know what the fuss was about when the match was on television after lunch. Daniel was having a lot of fun, trying to go around Jack, who was attempting to catch him and tickle him, and finally he just went straight under his brother's legs, scoring a touchdown.

"Yeah!" Jack shouted, picking a laughing Daniel up and twirling him around. "He scores!" He brought Daniel in close and gave him a hug, then set him down on the ground, ready for some more football.

When he looked up, he saw that Iris had brought her youngest daughter, Lizzie, out onto the back verandah. With them was a smallish boy around nine years old, head down and arms crossed, and an teenage girl around fourteen.

When Daniel saw them, he sidled nervously up to Jack. "Who are they?" he whispered, his thumb heading towards his mouth.

"They're family," he replied. He took Daniel's hand, stopping the thumb before it could go anywhere, and led him over to the verandah. "Aunt Lizzie! It's good to see you!"

"And you, Jack." At forty-five, Lizzie was only slightly taller than her mother, was very thin and had short blonde hair, and wore a pleasant expression. She was Jack's favourite aunt because she was the one who had encouraged him to follow his dreams of becoming a pilot. "And who is this young man?"

"This is Daniel, my brother," Jack introduced as he picked Daniel up so that the kid was more on a level with the adults. "Daniel, this is my aunt Lizzie and my cousin Aimee. Say hello to them."

"Hello," Daniel said quietly.

"Hello, Daniel," Lizzie replied, a smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you."

The blonde teenager - who had red streaks in her hair - stated with a gentle smile, "Hi, Daniel," already intrigued by Daniel's cuteness.

"And this is Luke," Lizzie introduced the boy standing next to her. "He's staying with us for a while."

Jack observed the boy and determined that what had originally looked like defiance was now seeming more like nervousness. _Poor kid_, he thought; _going from place to place, always meeting new people - it must be rough on him_. "Hey, Luke. How's it going?"

"Okay," Luke shrugged, still looking at the ground.

"Where's Ben?" Jack asked, wondering where the 17-year-old boy was.

"Inside with the adults," Lizzie said, stressing the last word.

Jack understood completely. "Right. We were just having a game of football if anyone wants to join us," Jack offered, hefting Daniel a little when the kid started to slip down.

"I will," Aimee said straight away, the maternal part of her wanting to play with Daniel. "Come on, Luke." She headed down the steps onto the grass.

"Go on," Lizzie urged when the dark-haired boy didn't move.

With a sigh, Luke followed his foster sister down into the backyard.

Setting Daniel down on the ground but keeping a hold of his hand, Jack explained the rules to Aimee and Luke, making them a team against him and Daniel. He noticed that his brother was still quiet but figured that would only last until Daniel was used to the new people. "Okay, let's play!"

"We are so going to win!" Aimee taunted her cousin.

"I don't think so," Jack shot back despite knowing that she was probably right. He was going to be handicapped because of Daniel and also because he would have to be careful about tackling Luke, given what Iris had said about the boy.

Fun and laughter ensued. It took Daniel a little while to get into the game but when Jack picked him and the ball up and ran down the end for a touchdown, he started to get excited again. Soon he was running around like the others, having the time of his life, tackling everyone he could, even Jack. He thought it was hilarious to attach himself to Jack's leg and have him hobble around the backyard.

It took Luke a bit longer as he was wary of Jack. But when he saw the way the man was helping Daniel play, and the encouragement Jack was giving him, Luke gave in and started to enjoy himself.

The group was soon joined by two other children aged sixteen and three, both Jack's cousins. The youngest one was actually Iris and Tom's great-granddaughter, the first child of their son Malcom's eldest daughter, Sophie, who was only a few years younger than Jack.

When the game was finished, Jack went over to Sophie and kissed her cheek before saying hello. They got along well, being close in age, and Jack was always glad to see her. Today, he was also glad for another reason. "Looks like your Tara's a handful," he commented.

Sophie grinned as she watched her daughter run around the backyard, playing chasey with one of her cousins. "She can be. But I wouldn't trade that for anything."

Jack noticed Tara try to get Daniel involved in the game of chasey. "Does she miss her father?" he asked, knowing that Sophie had been divorced for over a year now and never saw her ex-husband.

"She has days when she asks for him," Sophie admitted, "but she seems happy without him."

Jack nodded, plucking up the courage to ask the next question. "Is it, you know... hard raising Tara by yourself?" He knew Sophie worked - not in a dangerous job like him though - and wanted to know how she coped.

"It can be," she replied honestly. "There are days when she's so hyper that I want to scream or pass her off onto someone else for awhile. And then she'll do something that makes me smile and I wonder what I was thinking." Sophie turned her eyes on him, curious about the reason for the questions. "Why?"

Jack briefly explained about the situation with Daniel and finished up by saying, "I don't know how I'm going to cope."

"Because you have to," Sophie replied simple, giving him a teasing smile. "There'll be days when you get frustrated and think that you're doing a terrible job, and then Daniel will curl up on your lap and make everything alright again."

"But what about my job?"

Sophie knew that Jack was in Special Ops although she didn't know about his current assignment. "We're not currently at war. Take assignments that allow you to be home with Daniel and that don't run the risk of him losing you too. You can still fly but you have to remember that you have someone who is relying on you to come home and look after him now."

Jack shook his head ruefully. "When did you get to be so wise?" he complained half-heartedly, his eyes focused on Daniel again. The whole idea of raising his brother was beginning to become less daunting.

Sophie grinned. "I've always been wiser than you," she teased. "You just haven't noticed it before."

Before Jack could retaliate, Daniel came running up to him, arms held out in a silent plea for his brother to lift him up. Jack obeyed, hoisting Daniel into his arms. "Hey, kiddo. Having fun?"

"Yep! Is it lunchtime yet?" he queried. All that running around had made him hungry.

"Just about. Shall we go in and see?"

"Uh-huh."

Jack grinned and half-turned to face Sophie. "Thank you," he said, letting her know that her words had helped.

"Any time, Jack."

In the kitchen, Iris was putting the finishing touches on the lunch. A large turkey with all the trimmings sat in the middle of the extended table. There was also a large ham nearby as well as plates of corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and a large pumpkin pie. Daniel's eyes widened as he saw all the food. The only time he had seen so much food had been at weddings and in the marketplace. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Do we have to eat all that?"

"Everyone's certainly going to try," Jack replied with amusement. "That's why we have to watch the game after lunch - because no-one can move after eating all that food."

"Do I have to try everything?" Daniel wanted to know next.

"We'll tell Grandma Iris to give you a little bit of everything to try, and then you can decide if you want any more of anything, okay?" That way, it wouldn't be obvious to anyone else if Daniel didn't like something.

"Okay." Daniel liked that idea.

Jack took Daniel into the living room to meet the rest of the relatives, and then everyone adjourned to the dining room for lunch. The children and teenagers were placed down one end of the table, and the adults up the other end. Jack made sure he was sitting next to Daniel to help the kid get through the meal. Daniel liked the mashed potatoes, turkey and corn but not the sweet potatoes or the pumpkin pie, and was undecided about the ham and the bean casserole. Once he had decided what he liked, he had more helpings as well as some dessert. Also, he chatted away to Aimee, who was sitting on the other side of him and was interested to know all about Egypt.

There was plenty of chatter over lunch and it continued on when everyone moved into the living room ready for the football game. Jack found himself squashed up one end of the couch, Daniel on his lap. The kid was getting used to all his new relatives and was currently reading a book to Tara, who was sitting next to them on Sophie's lap. Jack rested one arm around Daniel's waist, loosely anchoring the kid, and started to watch the game.

During the game - in which the Detroit Lions were playing the Green Bay Packers - the two youngest children kept reading the book and chatting away, despite good-natured pleas from everyone to be quiet. Neither of the two could follow the game all that well so they had to find other sources of entertainment.

After a while, Daniel snuggled back against Jack and closed his eyes, sleepy from all the food he had eaten at lunch. He'd had a good day so far, what with playing trains and football, and making new friends, but most importantly because Jack had been paying him lots of attention. Daniel could sense that there was something different about Jack since breakfast but he didn't know what. Whatever it was though, he really liked it and hoped it would continue.

By half-time in the football match, Daniel was fast asleep. Despite being absorbed in the game, Jack had noticed the change in breathing, not to mention the boneless sprawl. As everyone got up to have a stretch or grab drinks or whatever, Jack carried Daniel into the spare bedroom. Sophie followed close behind with a sleeping Tara. They put the kids on Daniel's bed and then quietly left the room.


	18. Thanksgiving, part 2

Just a smaller part to finish off the day g .

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**Part 18 - Thanksgiving, part 2**

When Jack and Sophie went back some time later to check on the youngest members of the clan, they found the kids using the bed as a trampoline and having a wonderful time.

"Hi, Jack!" Daniel called enthusiastically, bouncing up and down. When Tara had woken, she had explained how fun it was, and so they had started jumping.

"Daniel." Jack caught Daniel in mid-bounce and held onto him. "Whatcha doing?"

"Playing tramp-leen," Daniel replied, a big smile on his face. "Tara says that she has a real one at home but since there's none here, we have to use the bed."

"Is that right?" Jack shared a look with Sophie, who was similarly holding Tara.

"It's a small one," Sophie explained to her cousin before turning to her little daughter. "Tara, what did I tell you about jumping on the bed?"

Tara looked down at the floor. "No bouncing." Then, in a change of attitude, she glanced up and reasoned, "But not my bed, Mommy."

Sophie sighed but there was a slight smile on her face. "No bouncing on _any_ bed," she ordered gently but firmly.

"Okay, Mommy," the little girl reluctantly agreed.

Jack jiggled Daniel on his hip. "That goes for you too, kiddo. Bouncing on beds is bad for them."

"Why?" Daniel inquired straight away.

"Because it is," Jack replied.

"Can we watch 'Aladdin'?" Daniel asked next, having being deprived of one fun thing and wanting to do another.

Jack looked at Sophie, who nodded. So they took the kids out to the living room, which most people had vacated, and settled them down to watch the movie.

Aimee drifted back in when the movie started, pulling Tara onto her lap. After a few minutes, Luke hesitantly joined them, sitting down near Daniel. He felt a kind of connection with the orphaned boy. In a way, he also felt jealous that Daniel at least had a family to go to whereas he'd had no-one but he decided that he really wouldn't wish his life on anyone else. And maybe, just maybe, he might find a family one day that would love him just as much as this family loved Daniel.

When the movie had finished, Tara took charge. "Let's play 'Laddin'. I be Jasmine, you be Laddin," she said, pointing to Daniel. "You save me from Jafar," she ordered.

"Okay." Daniel stood and tugged on Luke's hand. "You can be the genie. We have to go save Jasmine," he told the older boy.

Aimee put her arms around Tara. "I take it I'm Jafar?" she asked with a smile, not minding in the least.

"Uh-huh," Tara agreed. "Help, Laddin! Help!"

"I'm coming!" Daniel turned to Luke. "Genie, make me big and strong to fight the bad Jafar," he ordered.

"Uh, right." Luke lifted Daniel up onto the couch so that he was on a level with Aimee. "There you are, now you're big and strong."

"Thank you, Genie," Daniel said, then he turned towards Aimee. "Let her go, you bad man!"

"I don't think so," Aimee replied, getting into the swing of things. "You'll have to fight me, Aladdin."

Daniel paused for a moment and looked at his 'genie'. "What can I fight with?"

"How about..." Luke looked around the living room and spied some magazines. "How about these swords?" he suggested, picking up one of the magazines and rolling it up before handing it to Daniel.

"Ooh!" Daniel liked that idea. He took the magazine and pointed it at Jafar. "I'm going to fight you!" he threatened.

"Very well." Aimee picked up a nearby magazine and rolled it up to make her own sword. Then she put Tara on her opposite side and turned to face Daniel, kneeling on the couch to make them a similar height. "Ready?"

"Yep!"

The battle started and swords were swung, neatly countered by each opponent. After about a minute, Aimee allowed Daniel to 'strike' her a deadly blow and she carefully fell of the couch, pretending to die. "Curse you, Aladdin, you won," she groaned with her 'dying breath'.

Daniel grinned; he had beaten the bad Jafar!

Tara clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Now you kiss me," she told Daniel, puckering her lips.

"Yuck!" Daniel exclaimed, scrambled off the couch.

"It the rule," the little girl persisted. "Laddin has to kiss Jasmine." She climbed off the couch as well, preparing to catch him.

"No." Daniel turned and ran out of the room; he wasn't going to kiss a girl. Tara followed him, determined to get her kiss, so Daniel went out onto the back verandah where the adults were and found Jack. "Help!" He held out his arms to be picked up.

Jack automatically lifted Daniel into his arms. "What's the matter?" he asked, curious as to why the kid wanted his help.

"I don't like her rule," Daniel said, tucking his head against Jack's neck. "It's yucky."

"What's yucky?"

By this time, Tara had found him and stood in front of Jack, hands on her hips. "Put him down. He got to kiss me. We playing Laddin."

"Yucky," Daniel whispered.

Jack got it, and couldn't help smiling at the situation. He had forgotten what it was like _not_ to want to kiss a pretty girl. "It's okay, you don't have to kiss her if you don't want to," he reassured Daniel.

Daniel turned his head to look at Tara. "Jack says I don't have to kiss you."

"Mommy!" Tara tugged on her mother's hand. "Daniel won't play with me," she complained.

Sophie, who had been listening in to the conversation along with the rest of the adults outside, struggled to keep a straight face as she crouched down near her daughter. "Maybe you could play something different that Daniel will want to play too," she suggested.

Tara frowned for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "Barbie!"

"Uh, I don't think Daniel will like Barbies," Sophie stated diplomatically.

"What's a Barbie?" Daniel whispered to Jack.

"It's a doll," Jack whispered back to his little brother.

Daniel shook his head. "No dolls," he stated to Jack. Then his eyes lit up as he got an idea. "What about trains?"

"What trains?" Tara asked, a little put out that Daniel didn't want to kiss her or play dolls.

"Grandpa has little trains in his study," Daniel told her enthusiastically. "They go round and round on the tracks, and there's little people and houses and everything!" He started bouncing in Jack's arms. "Jack, can we go play with the trains please?"

"Pleeeease?" Tara added her own plea, her grievances forgotten.

"Oy," Jack muttered, knowing that he was toast. "You'd better go ask Grandpa since they're his trains."

"Okay." Daniel wriggled, wanting to get down. When Jack put him down, Daniel and Tara raced over to Grandpa Tom and asked for permission.

"We'll watch them," Aimee volunteered, having come out onto the back verandah with Luke in time to hear the discussion on the train set.

"Yeah," Luke agreed; a train set sounded cool.

Grandpa Tom pretended to think it over, watching with amusement as the two youngest children bounced in anticipation. "Oh, I suppose that will be okay," he said eventually.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Daniel stated, giving the old man an enthusiastic hug. "Come on, let's go!" he urged the others.

The adults watched the two young kids race into the house while the older children followed more sedately, then they turned back to their conversations.

After about five minutes of playing trains, Tara started making up conversations with the little people waiting at the train station. It wasn't until she was playing with a family that had a mommy and daddy and little boy that Daniel got upset though, thinking about his own family. He leaned against Luke, who was sitting nearby, and sniffed.

"What's the matter?" Luke asked, looking down at the kid.

"I miss my Mommy and Daddy," Daniel replied. He reckoned that his daddy would love the train set and his mommy would make up lots of stories about the people at the station like Tara was doing.

"I miss my Mom too," Luke stated, putting an arm around Daniel's shoulders.

Daniel looked up at the bigger boy. "Is she an angel too? Is that why you live with Aimee?"

"Yeah." Luke was downcast for a moment and then made an effort to cheer himself up for Daniel's sake. "You know, you're lucky, being able to live with your brother. I didn't have anyone to go to."

"But now you have Aimee and Auntie Lizzie and Ben, and they can be your family," Daniel said naively, not realising that Luke was a foster child and therefore could be shifted at any time. "And I'll be your family too," he offered.

"Me too," Tara piped up from nearby where she had been half-listening to the conversation. "I like family."

"Me three," Aimee stated, who was amazed at how much Luke had opened up to Daniel. "Group hug!" She went over to the two boys and hugged them both.

"Group hug!" Tara echoed, scampering over to join in the fun and then trying to put her arms around everyone. When she couldn't do that, she tried to duck underneath Aimee's arms to get in the middle of the group. "I wanna hug too!"

Everyone laughed and let Tara hop in the middle. Then after a minute, they separated and went back to playing trains, everyone just that little bit happier.

The second football came and went, and then most of the relatives went home. Sophie and Tara stayed though, the former not wanting to drive back that night since they lived a couple of hours away. Besides, she could see how well Tara and Daniel were getting on, and decided to let them play together for awhile longer.

After dinner, everyone settled in the living room to read or do quiet activities like colouring-in. Then, after about half an hour, Daniel looked up and asked, "Grandma, can we have a big bath again tonight?"

"Of course you can," Iris agreed. "But you have to wait until we're all ready," she continued as the little boy jumped up.

Daniel flopped back down on the floor. "Okay," he said half-heartedly, not wanting to wait.

"A big bath?" Tara questioned, intrigued by the idea.

"Yeah, it's outside and you have to wear clothes because everyone goes in it at the same time, and it has bubbles, and it's fun!" Daniel explained in one breath, a big smile on his face.

Tara turned to Sophie. "Mommy, we go in the big bath?" It sounded like a lot of fun.

"In a few minutes," she replied.

"I wanna go now," Tara complained, pouting.

"Tara, if you do that, you won't get to go at all," Sophie warned.

The little girl subsided, pouting. Daniel patted her hand in sympathy and then they both went back to their activities while the adults finished theirs.

Not too much later, everyone made their way out to the jacuzzi. Because there were four adults, the two children had to be seated on someone's lap all the time but no-one minded as they all enjoyed watching Daniel and Tara playing.

Then it was bedtime again. Sophie took Tara to the other spare bedroom, tucked her in and then waited while Grandma Iris read them both a story.

In the other bedroom, Daniel was in his pyjamas but he was busy protesting to Jack that he wasn't tired. "I'm a big boy," he was saying. "I can stay awake longer than she can."

"I know you can," Jack replied, giving Daniel's hair one last rub to get rid of the moisture and thinking that he would somehow have to wash the kid's hair in the morning. "That's why Grandma Iris is reading her a story first."

That reminded Daniel of his rule. "You have to read me a story too!" he exclaimed. "With voices," he added as he went to find a book for Jack to read to him.

"Right." Jack ran a hand through his hair; he _had_ agreed to that rule so he would have to set a good example and follow it. He accepted the book Daniel gave him and then helped the kid into bed, tucking him in tightly. "Do you want me to look for monsters first?"

"Yes, please." Daniel snuggled under the covers, hugging Thoth tightly, and watched Jack do a thorough job of checking the bedroom.

After a minute, Jack came back to sit on the bed. "No monsters." He got himself comfortable and then started reading, making sure that he put the voices in. Daniel moved so that he was snuggled up against Jack's hip, a thumb in his mouth as he listened contentedly. By the time Jack had finished the story, Daniel was half-asleep, valiantly trying to keep his eyes open so that he could listen to Grandma Iris tell a story.

Jack smiled as he saw the mini-battle that was being waged. He ruffled Daniel's hair and then moved aside so that Iris could take his place.

Iris gave her oldest grandson a knowing smile then sat down next to Daniel. "Are you asleep yet?" she asked, smoothing his hair back from his face.

"Uh-uh," Daniel denied, a yawn at the end of his words giving lie to them. "I'm awake."

"Okay." She settled back to tell him a story about Thanksgiving. "Once upon a time there was a ship called '_The Mayflower_'..."

A few minutes later, Iris could see that Daniel was about to fall asleep so she wound up the story. Then she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Daniel."

"Night," Daniel said sleepily, turning onto his back, his thumb coming out of his mouth as his hand flopped onto the pillow.

Jack stepped forward and ruffled Daniel's hair again. "Goodnight, Danny."

"Night, J'ck." Daniel's eyes closed completely and he succumbed to slumber.

Jack watched Daniel sleep for a few moments and then looked up to see Iris staring at him, a gentle expression on her face. She nodded at him then left the bedroom, leaving him alone with his sleeping brother. He looked down again, remembering the fun he'd had today with Daniel and the way it felt to know that the kid trusted him so much, and knew that he had made the right decision to keep him. Now all he had to do was work out how to raise him.

He turned the nightlight on, then flipped the switch for the overhead light off. Life was certainly going to be interesting from now on.


	19. Just an Ordinary Day

**Part 19 - Just an Ordinary Day**

**Friday, 28th November**

The next morning, Jack was up before Daniel. They both had porridge for breakfast and then Jack took Daniel off to the bathroom.

"What are we doing?" Daniel asked curiously when Jack brought all the shampoos and things into the bathroom.

"Having a shower," Jack replied. The idea had come to him last night when he was thinking about how to wash Daniel's hair. "Now, I'm going to go first, and then when I call, I want you to come into the shower with me." He helped Daniel get undressed and then wrapped him in a big towel.

"Do I have to wear clothes?" Daniel queried, wondering whether the same rule applied to showers as it did to the big baths.

"No, you don't have to wear a bathing suit because it's only the two of us, okay?" Jack closed the toilet seat, then picked Daniel up and sat him on the it.

"Okay."

Jack set the shower running so that it would warm up nicely while he got undressed. Then, when it was ready, he got in and quickly did all his usual stuff. "Okay, Daniel, come in now!" he called. "Leave the towel there," he added as an afterthought, just in case Daniel decided to bring it into the shower.

A few seconds later, the little boy opened the shower door and hopped into the stall. "Hi, Jack!"

"Hey, kiddo." Jack picked Daniel up and balanced him on one hip. Two little legs wound around his waist. "Ready?"

"Yep!" Daniel closed his eyes and held his breath as Jack held him under the spray of water. Then he wiped his hands over his face to get rid of the extra water when he was moved away from the spray.

"Okay, now you're gonna have to help me," Jack instructed, "because I've only got one hand. So hold one of yours out." Daniel did so and Jack poured some shampoo into it. "Now put it in your hair and start rubbing."

Daniel did as he was instructed, a big grin on his face at being able to help wash his own hair. Soon Jack's hand had joined in, and a good lather appeared.

They washed the shampoo out and then repeated the cycle once more. Then Jack put Daniel down and handed him the soap. Daniel obediently rubbed himself all over with the soap and then stood under the water to rinse it all off. After the shower had been turned off, he looked up at his brother and said, "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack stepped out of the shower and got the big towel to dry Daniel with. Then he moved back over to his little brother.

Daniel held up his hand near Jack's groin, measuring it. "You've got a big _zubrik_," he commented, bringing his hand back towards his own groin. "Will mine get that big?" His was only little in comparison.

Jack was speechless for a few seconds at Daniel's use of the Arabic slang word. "Uh, I don't know," he finally replied, recovering enough to crouch down and dry Daniel off. "Who taught you that word?" Oy, the language that Daniel seemed to have picked up on those dig sites!

"Abdul. He's my friend in Egypt. He's six and has lots of brothers and sisters and he said that they can grow big or small but girls like big ones best. Why do they like big ones best, Jack?" Daniel asked innocently, not having any idea what his genitals would be used for when he was older.

"Never you mind," Jack stated, wishing he could have a talk with this Abdul and telling him not to say such things to Daniel, although in all likelihood, Abdul was just repeating things his older siblings were saying. Wrapping the big towel around Daniel, Jack grabbed his own towel and quickly dried himself.

"If girls like them, why don't they have their own?" Daniel continued curiously.

"Daniel, has anyone had a talk with you about why boys and girls are different?" Jack asked, hoping that he wasn't going to have to do it.

Daniel shook his head vigorously. "Uh-uh."

As he got dressed, Jack decided to take the coward's way out. "Well, you'd better ask Grandma then." He figured she had probably given the talk to at least half of her children so she would have it down pat. "Ah! Wait until you're dressed," he said as Daniel headed for the door clad only in a towel that reached the floor.

Daniel turned around and, dropping the towel to the floor, headed for his clothes. He managed to find his underwear and even put it on the right way. By this time, Jack was ready and he helped Daniel finished getting dressed. Then Daniel was off to find Grandma Iris to find out why girls and boys were made differently.

By the time Jack went to find them after brushing his teeth and shaving, Daniel was sitting on Iris' lap in the kitchen, enthralled in what was being said. Jack sat down opposite just as Iris was saying, "-and if someone tries to touch it, you should tell another adult."

Jack was relieved that Iris was discussing that with Daniel too because he hadn't even thought about 'stranger danger' and the like.

Daniel nodded knowledgeably. "Daddy says that there are bad people out there who hurt little kids by touching and we should always run away and tell someone if that happens."

"Daddy was a very smart man," Iris said, giving Daniel a squeeze.

"So, everything sorted?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Yep! Can we play outside now?" Daniel queried eagerly.

"Uh, I was thinking we could go to the park while Sophie and Tara are still here," Jack replied. The two kids could play together on the equipment while he and his cousin just sat back and watched them.

"Okay! I'll tell Tara." Daniel slid off his grandmother's lap and raced out of the room to find his new cousin.

Jack looked across at Iris. "Do you want to come with us?" he wanted to know.

Iris smiled at the thought of spending more time with her grandchildren and one great-grandchild. "Give me half an hour to tidy up," she said.

"No problem." Jack got up to find Daniel so that the kid could brush his teeth. And then he would have to get Daniel to put his shoes and coat on, which could sometimes take a while. Taking care of a kid was so time-consuming!

The weather was nice enough that the kids were able to play in the park for over an hour, spending the most time in the sandpit making various sculptures that never stayed up for very long. Daniel eagerly ventured onto the slide again, with Sophie standing nearby to catch him like she was doing with Tara. On their way back to the house, they stopped off for an ice-cream - Grandma's treat. Daniel, situated in Jack's arms so that he could see the selection of flavours, decided upon chocolate chip. When he received his ice-cream, he was fascinated with the cone, having only ever eaten ice-cream out of a bowl.

"What's it made from?" Daniel asked, ever curious about things.

"Uh, I don't know," Jack replied, realising that he really didn't know; a cone had always been just a cone. "But it's yummy. Ah!" he said grabbing the ice-cream as Daniel went to taste it by biting off the end. "If you eat that bit, all the ice-cream will fall out and then you won't have any to eat."

Daniel frowned. "But it'll only be a little hole," he protested.

"Yeah, but ice-cream melts," Jack informed him, "and it'll drip out bit by bit until there's nothing left. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Uh-uh." Daniel decided to leave the tasting of the cone until later when he had eaten all the ice-cream.

Ten minutes later, all the ice-creams were eaten. Daniel had eaten all his cone, deciding that he liked it and could he have another one? Then he stood impatiently as Jack wiped his mouth to get rid of all the ice-cream that had ended up there instead of _inside_ his mouth. After the adults said no to another ice-cream, he had to leave some room for lunch, Daniel sulked for a minute before getting side-tracked by a white cat sitting on a fence.

Mentally smiling at the easily distracted boy, Jack answered all Daniel's questions about the cat as best he could, occasionally deferring to Iris or Sophie, who'd had more experience in dealing with little kids.

The rest of the morning was filled in with playing with the trains - with Grandpa Tom 'supervising' while the other adults got lunch ready or, in Jack's case, recovered from the trip to the park.

After lunch, the movie 'Shrek' was put on for the two young ones while the adults rested. Although Daniel didn't understand any of the references to fairytales, he loved the story and watched it all while sitting on the floor with Tara.

Jack watched his little brother, amused by the reactions, and he mentally made a note to get some traditional fairytales for Daniel to read so he knew what kids his age were talking about.

Near the end of the movie, Tara was getting sleepy so Sophie decided it was time to go home; Jack figured that she wanted a quiet trip back! After they had gone, Daniel sat on Jack's lap and watched the rest of the movie, denying any sleepiness.

Jack sat with him for a while after Daniel slowly drifted off to sleep, and was about to take him off to bed when the little boy woke up, refreshed from his short nap. So Jack suddenly found himself outside playing football and chasey with Daniel instead of relaxing some more.

Before dinner, Daniel did another drawing for his grandparents of everyone eating the Thanksgiving turkey; he received a lot of praise for it. Then there was some more quiet time after dinner, and another dip in the jacuzzi.

Finally, Daniel went to bed and was read two stories, including one called "Cinderella", which Iris said was one of her favourite stories. And then Daniel fell asleep, having had a wonderful, ordinary day.


	20. We're going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

**Part 20 - We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo...**

**Saturday, 29th November**

"Mommy! Mommy!"

The shouts gradually permeated Jack's brain as he woke up, pulling from a deep sleep. "What the--?" he asked, opening his eyes to find it was still the middle of the night. Then he heard sobs coming from the next bed and realised that Daniel must have just had a nightmare or something. "Hey, it's okay," he offered as he got out of bed and turned on the overhead light.

Daniel was sitting up in bed, tears pouring down his cheeks and thumb firmly implanted in his mouth. "What happened?" Jack queried, sitting down beside his little brother.

"A-a big bad wolf sniffle was cha-chasing me sniffle and I ran to Mommy and Daddy b-but they flied a-away!" Daniel's sobs erupted again, and he buried his face against Jack's chest. "I w-went after them... b-but I c-couldn't fly and the- huge gulp of breath -the wolf kept chasing me!"

"Shhh," Jack soothed, lifting Daniel into his lap and rubbing his back. "It was just a bad dream. It's not going to hurt you." Then he noticed that something damp was pressing against his leg. "Uh, Danny, did you..."

"I- sniffle -I didn't mean to," Daniel sobbed, embarrassed that he had wet the bed. "It did it by itself."

"That's okay," Jack said, standing Daniel on the floor and stripping the pyjama bottoms from him. "These things sometimes happen." He crouched there, pyjamas in hand, and wondered what to do next. Knowing that he couldn't wake Iris to ask her advice, he decided he would have to take the pyjamas and the sheets into the laundry and soak them. But what to do about the mattress?

"Jack?" Iris appeared in the doorway. She had just been to the bathroom when she had heard Daniel's shouts. "Is everything alright?"

"We just had a bit of an accident, that's all," Jack told her, quickly stripping the damp sheets from the bed. "I was just about to take these to the laundry." A glance at the mattress showed him that there was already a mattress protector on the bed, so he didn't have to worry too much about that.

"I think you'd better get Daniel something else to wear first," Iris pointed out, seeing the little boy standing there naked from the waist down. "I'll get a towel."

"Oh, right." Jack hunted out the pair of sweats as he hadn't brought two pairs of Daniel's pyjamas with him. Iris came back with a washer and towel, and Jack quickly wiped Daniel clean and dried him. Then he handed the items back to his grandmother - who efficiently wiped the mattress protector clean - and helped Daniel on with the sweats. "How're you going, kiddo? Okay?"

Daniel shook his head, his thumb again in his mouth. He was embarrassed and scared, and because he was scared, he said, "I want Mommy." She always knew how to comfort him.

"I know you do. But you'll have to make do with me," Jack stated, picking him up and settling him onto one hip. Then, with the other hand, he picked up the sheets and pyjama bottom. "Come on, we'll take these to the laundry and then we'll come back and you can sleep with me, okay?"

This time, Daniel nodded and then rested his head on Jack's shoulder. "You won't let the wolf get me?"

"I promise." Jack took Daniel to the laundry and ran some warm water in the large sink. Then he put the sheets and pyjamas in to soak, and headed back to the bedroom. Iris had disappeared back to her own bedroom, so Jack turned off the light and, able to find his way due to the night-light, carried Daniel into bed. "I'm going to be right here," he promised, rubbing Daniel's back as the little boy cuddled up to his chest, Thoth cradled under one arm.

Daniel sniffled a few more times, a little afraid to close his eyes. But soon the sound of Jack's heartbeat and the warmth beneath him sent him off to sleep again.

Jack stayed awake for a while longer, still gently rubbing Daniel's back. This was something he would have to get used to, the waking up in the middle of the night thing. He just hoped the bed-wetting wasn't going to be a regular thing though. Still, he supposed that was part of the package that he had signed on for when he said he would keep Daniel.

He closed his eyes, needing to get some more sleep in before morning so that he could keep up with Daniel. How could someone so little have so much energy?

A few hours later, Jack woke when a little body started squirming against him. Hoping it wasn't another nightmare - or worse, a bed-wetting - Jack released his hold on his brother. "Danny, wake up!"

"I _am_ awake," came the indignant reply. "You were squashing me."

"Oh. Sorry." _Well, at least it wasn't anything bad,_ Jack thought. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Okay." Daniel looked at the other bed, which was currently devoid of sheets, then back at Jack. "Was I bad?" He hadn't wet the bed in quite a long time.

"No, you weren't bad. You just couldn't help it," Jack replied, ruffling Daniel's hair. "But we might have a shower this morning," he suggested.

"After breakfast?" Daniel inquired; he was hungry.

"Do you feel sticky or anything?" Jack asked.

"Nope." Just hungry.

"Okay, after breakfast then." Jack heard noises in the kitchen and figured that Iris was up. "Why don't you go see if Grandma's got breakfast ready?"

Daniel scrambled off the bed, put his monkey slippers on, and headed off to the kitchen. A minute later, he came back and said, "Grandma says it'll be a few more minutes."

_Time enough for a quick shower,_ Jack thought. He grabbed Daniel's and his own clothes, and headed into the bathroom, the little boy in tow.

They had a quick shower together and then came out for breakfast. After saying 'good morning', Iris asked when they would be going home.

"I hadn't really thought about it," Jack admitted. He knew he had to be back in good time for his date but other than that...

"It looks like being good weather today. How about taking Daniel to the zoo?" Iris suggested.

"Here?" Jack thought about how much energy that would take and then he would still have to drive home afterwards.

"Actually, I was thinking of the one in Colorado Springs. You know the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo," Iris said as she bustled around the kitchen. "That way, if Daniel get tired, you're not too far from home."

Daniel, who had been looking back and forth between the adults as they spoke, piped up with the question, "What's a zoo?"

"It's a place where lots of different animals live and you can go visit them," Iris explained.

"Like tigers and lions and camels?" Daniel asked, his eyes lighting up.

Iris nodded. "I'm not sure about the camels but definitely the other two."

"Can we go, Jack? Pleeeease?" Daniel begged, wanting to go see the animals.

Realising it would be a good way to fill in the day - and he didn't want to have a sulky Daniel on his hands if he said no - Jack stated, "Yes, we can go. But only if you're good."

Daniel nodded eagerly. "I promise." He started swinging his legs in excitement. This would be so fun!

They were ready to leave by nine o'clock, which was about the time the zoo opened. Daniel gave his new grandparents great big hugs. "Love you, Grandma Iris. Thank you for the turkey and the park and the ice-cream and the jack-oozi! Love you, Grandpa Tom. Thank you for the trains and the movie!"

Iris' heart just melted as she hugged the little boy. "We love you too. And thank you for being such wonderful company."

"And for the drawings," Tom added, bending down far enough to receive his hug.

"I'll make more for you," Daniel promised as he crawled into the car and onto his booster seat. "I like drawing," he commented to nobody in particular.

Jack finished doing up Daniel's seatbelt and then turned to his grandparents. "Thanks for all the advice," he said to them, giving Iris a kiss on the cheek and Tom a handshake.

"You're welcome," Iris replied for them both. "You take good care of him now."

"I will." He would have to rethink his role in the Air Force because of Daniel but that could wait until tomorrow.

"Drive safely," Tom added as Jack got into the car.

"And call us when you get home," Iris ordered, wanting to make sure that they arrived safely.

"Will do." Jack had the suspicion that Daniel would want to tell someone all about the zoo.

Jack waited until they were out of Denver before putting a CD on for Daniel to listen to. Daniel happily sang away for the entire trip in between telling Jack all about the animals he had seen in Egypt. Thoth and Khufu, meanwhile, danced enthusiastically on Daniel's lap.

They arrived at the zoo, which wasn't too far from where Jack worked, just after ten o'clock. Jack bundled Daniel into his coat and then led his little brother over to the entrance. There wasn't a long queue so they didn't have to wait too long to buy tickets; with his military ID, Jack was able to get a cheaper price for his ticket.

Daniel bounced excitedly as Jack looked at the map of the zoo. "Can we go see the camels first?"

"I can't find the camels," Jack said, studying the map and determining a course of action. If they went to their right first, they would be able to see the main stuff and the attempt the uphill viewing of the big cats, monkeys, gorillas and hippopotamuses. And, he noted with relief, there was a tram running so if little legs got too tired, then they could ride on that. "Hold my hand so you don't get lost," he instructed.

Daniel put his little hand in Jack's big one and grinned; this was going to be so exciting! His eyes wide open as they walked along the path, he tried to see everything at once. Then they opened impossibly wide as he spied something in the distance. "Giraffes, Jack! Look, giraffes!" He tugged excitedly on Jack's hand and pointed towards the animals. "Can we go there?"

"Sure," Jack easily agreed and let himself be led along to the large enclosure. There were two giraffes, one smaller than the other. "Look, Danny, a baby giraffe."

"Let me see!" Daniel held his arms up to Jack and was soon lifted up to see over the fence. "Ooooh!" He thought it was so cute! "Is that it's mommy?"

"I'd say so." Jack moved along to find the information plaque. "Yeah, it is."

"Pretty," Daniel commented, his eyes still on the giraffes. "Can I pat it?"

"Uh, I don't think so," Jack said with a grin. "That's why they're over there and we're out here. But I think they have somewhere where you can pat some animals."

That sounded good to Daniel. He spent a few more minutes watching the giraffes and then was happy to let Jack escort him on to the rest of the enclosure. The monkeys and meerkats were okay but he didn't like the vultures.

The next enclosure held several elephants, one of whom was actually painting with his trunk, and Daniel was rapt. He bounced up and down on his toes as he related all the facts he knew about elephants while keeping his eyes on that particular elephant.

"Wow," said Jack, impressed that Daniel knew all that information. "How do you know all that?"

"Daddy knows lots of things and he tells me," Daniel stated. "He told me lots about the animals in Africa." That had been one of the best parts of the day, when his father told him things like that after dinner.

"Well, you'll be able to tell _me_ everything then," Jack teased gently.

Daniel puffed out his chest with pride, taking the comment seriously. He felt like he had been given an important job just like his daddy used to give him at dig sites. "I don't know everything though," he felt he had to tell Jack.

"That's okay, no-one does." Jack hid a grin at the serious statement. He waited while Daniel had a good look at the elephants and then said, "So what do you know about lions?"

Daniel launched into a long spiel as they headed towards where the lions were kept. Then he was silenced as they approached the den by a loud growl. Suddenly uncertain, Daniel half-hid behind Jack. "Is it mad?" he whispered.

"Probably just hungry," Jack replied. When Daniel didn't move, Jack picked him up and carried him the short distance to the high fence. The big male lion was now happily chewing on some meat while a younger one kept its distance. "See? Just hungry."

The little boy was most relieved at that. He loosened his grip on Jack slightly and was able to appreciate the view more.

They backtracked a little and then walked up the mountain to where the Big Cats were. Daniel was especially taken with the snow leopards, and he 'oohed' as the animals wandered around the enclosure. "Why are they white?" he inquired.

"So they blend in with the snow."

"Why?"

"So that they can hide from other animals or people," Jack replied, keeping his answer general. He didn't really want to say anything about hunting or dying.

"Oh."

Next stop was the Bird and Reptile House. Daniel really didn't like the snakes - even Jack had to admit they made him shudder - but he did like the tortoises and the birds.

There was a quick toilet stop, then they went off to see the leopards and tigers in the Asian Highlands enclosure. Daniel was fascinated with the two young Amur leopards, Dazma and Kavan, who were only two years old.

After a quick glance at his watch, Jack decided they had enough time to stop off at the Big Backyard before lunch so that Daniel could pat some of the animals like goats and rabbits. They walked back down the mountainside and along the path to the big building where the more common animals were kept.

Daniel was thoroughly fascinated. He had seen goats before so he went to them first and was allowed to pat a couple. He also got to pat a rabbit, after which he asked Jack if they could have one; Jack said no.

When they reached the turkeys, Daniel was horrified. "Will they get eaten too?" he whispered to Jack.

"No. These are special zoo turkeys," Jack replied.

"That's good," Daniel said with relief; he hadn't liked the thought of the turkeys ending up on someone's dining table.

When Daniel had looked his fill, they headed down to the Colobus Cafe for lunch where they had burgers and fries. Then they headed to the Monkey Pavilion, where there were plenty of monkeys running around to fascinate Daniel.

Jack laughed along with Daniel at the monkeys' antics, enjoying it more than if he had been by himself. He was learning more about what four-year-olds found funny, and what animals Daniel knew all about.

They made a quick detour up to see the bears - which were also a hit with Daniel - before walking back to the cafe to catch the tram. It took them almost to the Aquatics centre and they had to walk the rest of the way.

In the Aquatics centre, there were various water-based animals but Daniel liked the hippos the best so they stayed to watch the 2.30pm show where the trainers came out to feed the hippos and to brush their teeth.

"Wow!" Daniel uttered, impressed that even hippos had to clean their teeth. "How do they do that when they're in Egypt?" he asked Jack.

"Uh, they probably don't," Jack replied, unable to quickly come up with an answer to that one.

"Mommy said never to go near hippos because when they get mad, they hurt," Daniel told his brother. "They must be happy now," he observed.

"I'd say so," Jack agreed, watching the trainers in amongst the hippos. A young hippo was a bit more restless than the older hippos, who were presumably used to the routine. _That reminds me of a certain someone_, he thought as he glanced down at Daniel.

Next stop was Primate World, where Daniel again got to see monkeys as well as some big gorillas. He stared at the biggest one, who was stalking around the enclosure, and commented, "He's in a bad mood."

Jack chuckled at the astute observation. "Yeah, he is, isn't he? Probably woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"Huh?" Daniel didn't get that.

"Never mind." Jack took Daniel back down to the Carousel and paid for a ride. He put Daniel on one of the horses and then stood back, waving to him every time the little boy was in sight.

"That was cool!" Daniel enthused when the ride ended. "Can I go again?"

"Sure." They waited until the next intake and then Jack put Daniel back on a horse.

"Go, horsey!" Daniel called as the ride started up, which made Jack laugh; his little brother was certainly amusing.

After the ride, they took the tram back to say goodbye to the elephants and giraffes, and they headed for the gift shop so Daniel could get a souvenir. Inside, the little boy saw a poster advertising 'Adopt-an-Animal' packages and he begged Jack for one. So for $25, Daniel found himself the proud 'parent' of a Nile hippopotamus, for which he received a certificate and he got to choose a stuffed toy as well.

Back at the car, Jack buckled Daniel into the booster seat and then set off for home. Daniel related all his favourite things about the zoo to Jack, and also introduced his other toys to the new toy hippo.

At home, after bringing the bags in, Jack rang Iris to say they had got home safely and then handed the phone over to Daniel.

"Hi, Grandma Iris! We went to the zoo and saw giraffes and lions, which were a bit scary, and elephants and lots of monkeys and tigers, and I patted some goat and a rabbit, and I saw the hippos get their teeth cleaned, and Jack helped me adopt a hippo 'cept it won't live with us 'cos it's got to stay at the zoo, but I'm going to be its father for a year and they have special days for parents, and I got a toy hippo too, I could've picked something else but I wanted a hippo!" Daniel paused for breath.

That sounds wonderful, Daniel, Iris enthused.

"It is! And I went on the carousel two times, and we rode on the tram, and there were baby giraffes and leopards, and we had burgers for lunch!" Daniel was practically bouncing with excitement as he shared his news.

Wow, you've had a busy day!

"Yep! My hippo's name is going to be Taweret 'cos she's the Egyptian hippo goddess," Daniel continued, hugging said toy.

That's a very good name for her then, Iris stated.

Daniel chatted for another couple of minutes then gave the phone back to Jack and headed for the bedroom. There, he put his stuffed toys on the bed as if they were chatting to each other, and proceeded to unpack his books and drawing stuff. Jack arrived soon after to put the rest of the things away.

Given that he was going on a date later, Jack gave Daniel an early bath amid questions as to why the bath was before dinner and what was a date? Jack explained that a date was when a man and a woman liked each other and went somewhere together, like a restaurant or the movies.

"Like when we go to the park?" Daniel queried, trying to understand.

"Kind of." Jack wasn't going to go into all the details with someone as young as Daniel. "You remember Lou? He's going to come over and look after you while I'm out."

"Will he play with me?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I'm sure he will if you ask him nicely," Jack stated, taking Daniel - who was now dressed in his pyjamas and robe - into the kitchen. He made some sandwiches for his little brother, and gave him ice-cream for dessert for being a good boy all day. Then he settled Daniel down in the living room to wait for Lou while he got ready for his date.


	21. Jack's Date

Jack finally gets to go on his first date since Daniel arrived!

---------------------------

**Part 21 - Jack's Date**

Waiting for Jack gave Daniel plenty of time to think about the fact that his big brother was going somewhere without him, and by the time Lou arrived, he didn't like that fact at all. So although Daniel was pleased to see that Lou was the man who had been nice to him the other night, he was determined that Jack wasn't going to leave him behind. He slid off the couch and ran over to Jack, attaching himself to his brother's right leg. "I wanna go too!"

"Daniel," Jack sighed in exasperation; he had hoped that this was going to be hassle-free. "You can't come with me."

"Why not?" Daniel pouted, still clinging to Jack's leg with all the strength he had.

"Because dates are for grown-ups only," Jack replied, trying to pry the little arms from around his leg. "You're going to stay here and have lots of fun with Lou." _Geez_, he thought, _Daniel's pretty strong for a little kid._ Finally though, he managed to get free.

Lou picked Daniel up and jiggled him. "That's right. I'm gonna teach you some cool games and then I'll make you my Super-dooper chocolate milkshake."

Both Jack and Daniel's eyes widened at that; Jack, because he hadn't heard about the milkshake making, and Daniel because it sounded delicious. "What's super-dooper mean?"

"It means extra fantastic," Lou replied. "You know why?" Daniel shook his head. "Because it has little chocolate bits in it," he confided.

Daniel's grin showed just what he thought of that idea.

"Not too close to bedtime though," Jack instructed as he gathered up his wallet and keys. "The list of Daniel's allergies is on the fridge and so is my cell number if you need to call."

"We'll be fine, won't be?" Lou asked Daniel, jiggling him again.

Nodding slowly, Daniel decided that this might be okay. "But what about my story?" he wanted to know.

"I think Lou will be able to do it if I'm not home by then," Jack delegated the responsibility.

"Voices and everything?" Daniel queried, the concept very important to him.

"You bet," Lou agreed, used to doing it that way with his sister's children. "They're the best part, aren't they?"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically this time. "Uh-huh. Jack didn't know that when I first got here but now he does them. And sometimes Mommy and Daddy would act them out too and they made me laugh lots." Those had been good times.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lou saw Jack stiffen and knew to quickly change the subject. "Well, maybe we could try that too. But we'd better let Jack go on his date now. So give him a hug and wish him good luck."

Daniel leaned over to wrap his arms around Jack's neck. "Bye, Jack. Good luck and come back soon."

"You betcha," Jack promised, ruffling Daniel's hair. "And you behave for Lou."

"Okay." His anxiety at Jack leaving was almost cancelled out by the thought of the super-dooper chocolate milkshake but not quite. That was why his lower lip trembled when the front door closed behind Jack.

"Hey, it's okay," Lou soothed, carrying Daniel into the living room. "He'll be back before you know it. Now, do you know how to count to ten?"

"Uh-uh. Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneightnineten," Daniel zipped through the numbers.

"Very good," Lou praised. "I'm gonna teach you a game called 'Snap' then."

Outside, Jack stood near the front door for a few moment, thinking that this was the first time in four days that he and Daniel had been parted. Surprisingly, he was finding it difficult to leave the kid behind, especially knowing that Daniel was fragile right now. But, he told himself, Lou will take great care of him so there was no need to feel guilty.

With slow steps, he walked to his car, only looking over his shoulder once. Then he got in, determined to enjoy his date.

Not too much later, he pulled up in front of Sara's apartment, a few minutes early. She had obviously been watching for him because she soon appeared and got into the car, a small smile on her face. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," Jack replied, feeling warm inside. "You look nice."

"Thank you." She grinned at him before putting a seatbelt on. "Where's Daniel tonight?" she asked, seeing the booster seat in the back.

"At home. A friend is looking after him," Jack said as he put the car into gear and drove off.

They made small talk on their way to the Chinese restaurant. Jack, for all his charm and confidence, was feeling a little like this was his first date; something which, if he remembered, hadn't turned out all that well.

"So, how are you coping with Daniel living with you?" Sara inquired as they made their way to their table, curious as to how things were going.

"It's... an experience," Jack said with some humour. "First thing I learnt was that whatever your plans were for the day, they're totally changed by 0800. Sorry, uh, eight am," he amended, remembering she wasn't in the military.

Sara laughed and something inside Jack stirred at the lovely sound. In that moment, he knew there was something different about Sara but he didn't know exactly what. He hoped, though, that he would find out. "Do you have any, uh, young ones around?" He didn't want to directly inquire as to whether she had children.

"One nephew at the moment, Ashton. He's only five months old though, so he's not at the stage of getting into mischief yet," she replied, wearing an fond smile.

"Just wait," Jack warned semi-seriously. "And it's worse if they're a little genius because they always have to know 'why' and somehow, when they sense that you don't know the answer, they still continue asking it."

Sara laughed again, delighting in that little insight into Jack's life with Daniel. "Surely you were like that when you were younger?"

"I don't think I was ever that young, and certainly not that smart," Jack stated. "What about you?" He smiled at Sara and settled back to enjoy the evening.

"Snap!" Daniel shouted enthusiastically as he slapped his hands down on the cards to win the game.

"Oy! You won again," Lou groaned and flopped back on the couch in mock-defeat. "You're too quick for me."

Daniel giggled as he gathered up the cards, pleased that he had won again. "Can we play again?"

"How about we have that super-dooper milkshake first?" Lou suggested, taking a look at the clock.

"Yeah!" Daniel thought that was a wonderful idea. He jumped off the couch and dragged Lou into the kitchen. "The milk and the chocolate syrup is in there," he said, pointing to the fridge and forgetting that Lou knew where everything was kept, "and the glasses are up there."

Lou obediently collected the various items and then produced an item that had been hidden in his backpack: a Kit-Kat. He held it out in front of Daniel.

"What's that?" Daniel asked, his exposure to brand chocolates almost non-existent.

Breaking off a little bit, Lou handed it to Daniel to taste. "It's one of the best chocolates in the world," he replied.

Daniel popped the piece into his mouth and his eyes lit up. "Yum!" If the chocolate tasted that good, then the milkshake would be even better! He couldn't wait to try it! He watched carefully as Lou mushed up the chocolate and then put all the ingredients in a glass and mixed them all together. "Is it ready now?" he asked after three very long minutes.

"It sure is," Lou replied, handing Daniel a glass that was three-quarters full. "Now hold onto that glass carefully because you don't want to spill any, do you?"

"Nuh-uh," Daniel said. He did as Lou instructed, holding the glass carefully with both hands and then tilting it so that he could taste the milkshake. His blue eyes widened behind his glasses; it was delicious!

"Do you like it?" Lou asked, already knowing the answer.

"Itsh yummy," Daniel stated, trying to talk without putting the milkshake down. He couldn't decide whether to drink it quickly because it was so good or to savour it for the same reason. He settled for breathing in between mouthfuls and swishing the milkshake around in his mouth every so often. Finally, though, he reached the bottom of the glass and he put it down, disappointed that there wasn't more. "Can I have another one please?" he asked.

"Only one glass per visit, I'm afraid," Lou stated, knowing how much little kids could drink without getting full or upset stomachs. He finished off his own drink. "So how about we play another game instead?"

"What game?" Daniel inquired.

"Wait and see."

The food was delicious and the company even better, Jack thought as he laughed at another one of Sara's anecdotes. She was a good conversationalist, and hadn't pried when Jack had told her that a lot of his work was classified. All in all, he was having a great time.

After the main course, Sara brought the conversation around to Daniel again, asking how the little boy had gone with the jigsaw.

"He loved it," Jack replied, remembering how happy Daniel had been doing it. "He finished it in less than two days and is already planning which one to do next."

Sara had to smile at that. "Does he like the other toys?"

"Couldn't get him out of the bath that first night," Jack joked. "He's made good use of the sketch pad too."

"That's good to hear." Sara was genuinely please by that as she had liked the shy little boy.

"Yeah." That made Jack wonder how Daniel and Lou were getting on. The fact that they hadn't needed to call him was good... wasn't it? He checked his watch, then said, "Uh, if you don't mind, I'd better..."

"Give Daniel a call?" Sara finished for him, smiling. "It's your first time leaving him with a sitter, isn't it?"

Jack responded with a sheepish grin. "How'd you guess?" He dialled his home number and waited - a little anxiously - for someone to answer, even though he knew everything would be alright.

Ferretti.

"Lou, it's Jack. How are things going?"

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. I wondered how long it would take, Lou commented. Just let me check my watch...

"Lou," Jack warned, not in the mood for teasing.

Everything's fine. We're just about to start playing 'Snakes and Ladders', Lou reported. You wanna talk to Daniel?

"Sure."

There was a small pause and then Daniel started talking. Hi, Jack!

"Hey, kiddo." Unknowingly, Jack's expression softened when he heard his little brother's voice. "Are you having fun?"

Yep! We played 'Snap' and I won every time, and then Lou made a super-dooper milkshake with yummy chocolate, Daniel recited enthusiastically.

"Wow, that sounds great," Jack said, feeling a little stab of jealousy that Daniel was having fun without him.

Are you having fun too? Daniel inquired.

Jack automatically looked over at Sara, who was watching him with amusement. "Yes. Yes, I am," he replied, his eyes locked with Sara's and a smile on his face. "Put Lou back on please."

Okay. Bye, Jack.

"Bye, Danny." He waited for a second and then said, "Lou?"

Yeah?

"Uh..." Jack hesitated; 'don't forget to put Daniel to bed on time' sounded too much like a worried parent for his comfort. "I'll be home in an hour or so."

Take your time. Daniel and I are having great fun, Lou replied, the smile in his voice evident.

"Okay. Well... see ya." Jack pressed the 'end' button on his cell phone.

Sara smiled at him. "I take it everything's going well."

"Oh yeah. They've apparently just had a super-dooper chocolate milkshake," Jack informed her, still a little put out that Daniel was having so much fun without him.

"Sounds fantastic," Sara commented, noting the slight pout. "Lou must be a really great babysitter."

"Yeah, he is." Realising that if he kept brooding about this he would neglect his date, Jack turned his grin on Sara. "Now, where were we up to?"

"But I don't wanna go to bed," Daniel complained at 8.30pm. "Jack's not home yet."

Lou watched the little boy rub his eyes and smiled to himself; sleep wasn't far off. "But if you go to bed now, we'll have plenty of time for one of your stories."

"Can we act it out?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Sure." Lou knew that it would help tire Daniel out even further.

Daniel contemplated that solemnly, not wanting to go to sleep before he saw Jack come home but tempted by the story offer. Finally, he gave in. "Okay. But I'm not going to sleep."

"Okay," Lou agreed, nodding.

"And if I do, you have to wake me up when he gets home," Daniel added, just in case his body acted without telling him.

"You betcha."

That sorted, and the phrase stored away for future use, Daniel headed for the bathroom. Once he had finished in there, he went to his bedroom and got out a book from his special shelf. "This one," he said, holding the book out to Lou. "I want to be Androcles."

"No problem." Lou was used to playing all sorts of characters for his nieces and nephews. "Will Thoth be joining us?" he asked, looking at the three stuffed toys on the bed. Then he noted the rest of the bedroom; he would have to have a chat with Jack about decorating it.

"Uh-huh." Daniel introduced Lou to Khufu and Taweret, explaining where they had come from and that he was a 'father' to a hippo at the zoo.

After he had finished his recitation, Lou and Daniel acted out the story, which the little boy was absolutely thrilled with. When Lou tried to get him into bed, Daniel was still bouncing with joy.

"I'm not tired," Daniel protested as Lou took his glasses off and put them on the bedside table.

"I can see that," Lou commented wryly. "Well, you just sit there while I check the bedroom." He looked in all the places monsters could hide, then turned to Daniel to report, "Bedroom is secure."

"Does that mean there's no monsters?" Daniel queried, unfamiliar with the phrase.

"That means that there's no monsters," Lou confirmed. "Who do you want to sleep with tonight?"

"Thoth," Daniel answered promptly; the teddy was his favourite. He accepted the bear and snuggled down. "When will Jack be home?"

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Lou replied, thinking that it would be a very short date if Jack was home soon - something to tease his friend about later.

Daniel contemplated that and then sat up. "Can I have a drink of water please?"

Lou looked at him suspiciously. "Do you really need one?"

"Yep," Daniel said, nodding energetically; anything to delay going to sleep.

Although Lou knew Daniel was stretching the truth, he went and got the kid a cup of water. Daniel drank half of it and handed it back to Lou. "Thank you." He snuggled down again, waited for a few moments, and then sat up when Jack didn't arrive. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Lou waited until Daniel was out of the room before grinning; talk about stalling tactics. When Daniel came back again, Lou tucked him into bed and said, "No more getting up. Jack will wake you when he gets home."

"Promise?" Daniel asked, even though they had sorted this out earlier.

"Cross my heart," Lou replied, making the appropriate gesture. "Now go to sleep." He turned off the light and left the room.

Daniel refused to close his eyes, determined to stay awake until he had seen Jack. He recited a story in a whisper before he decided that Jack wasn't coming back any time soon. So he got out of bed, Thoth under one arm, and went out into the living room where Lou was watching television quietly. "I can't sleep," he said with a pout.

Lou mentally rolled his eyes, amused at the tactic. "Can't sleep, huh?" Daniel shook his head, stifling a yawn at the same time. "Alright, you'd better come and sit with me."

Pleased that he wasn't going to be sent back to bed, Daniel scrambled up onto the couch and onto Lou's lap. Making himself comfortable, he settled down to watch some strange sport with sticks.

One minute later, he was sound asleep.

When Lou noticed, he turned the volume down and just kept watching, a grin on his face.

A few minutes before ten, Jack dropped Sara off at her place. "I'm sorry this was so short," he apologised as he walked her to the door.

"Don't be," Sara said with a sweet smile. "It was lovely. I had a great time." They had talked a lot, and she had found Jack to be a funny and charming guy. And then there was the matter of his obvious affection for his little brother, which boded well for future children.

"That's good." Jack was relieved. "I did too. Have a great time, that is." Sara had a similar sense of humour to him, which he always appreciated in a woman.

"I'd invite you in but I think you had better get home," Sara continued. She leaned in, standing on tiptoes, and let her lips touch his briefly. "Call me, okay?"

"You betcha." Jack would _definitely_ be doing that. He watched her disappear behind the front door, a little disappointed that he wasn't going with her, and then he headed back to the car. He felt so good right now and he found himself humming under his breath.

He didn't stop humming until he got home. Aware that there was a sleeping child in the house, Jack quietly opened the front door and went into the living room to see Lou. But he hadn't expected Daniel to be there too. "Lou?" he questioned softly.

"Someone wanted to stay up and see you," Lou explained, turning off the television and then carefully standing up, not wanting to wake Daniel, who was now curled up on the couch. "How was the date?"

"It was good," Jack replied. "Why didn't you put him to bed?"

"I did. He didn't want to stay there," Lou stated with huge grin. "Wanted to make sure you came home safe. Speaking of which, I promised I'd wake him when you got home. Daniel, wake up," he said softly, crouching down next to the boy and gently shaking his shoulder.

"Mmm?" Daniel didn't want to open his eyes but he stirred.

"Jack's home."

Daniel managed to half-open his eyes at the sound of his brother's name. "Jack." He held out one arm in a clear request.

Jack picked Daniel up, being careful not to dislodge the teddy bear. "Hey, kiddo."

"I missed you." Daniel rested his head on Jack's shoulder and threw one arm over his brother's chest.

"I missed you too," Jack stated, moved by that simple statement.

"Night, Jack." Daniel's eyes closed as he succumbed to slumber again.

"Goodnight, Danny." Jack shared a look with Lou as Daniel slept. "Did he behave?"

"He's a great kid," Lou replied, gathering up his stuff. "Bit like a yo-yo though," he added with another grin.

"Sorry about that. I guess he was just nervous," Jack stated. He thought about how Daniel would have said goodbye to his parents only to never have them come home again, and didn't blame the kid for being worried.

"No problem. See you on Monday." Lou clapped Jack lightly on one shoulder. "Oh, and do something about his bedroom. He's four not forty." Then he left, having the final word.

Jack looked down at the sleeping boy. "Well, I suppose I'd better put you to bed." He carried Daniel back to the boy's bedroom, thinking about what Lou had said. Now that Daniel was staying with him, he supposed he had better make the bedroom a little more exciting.

"You know, a week ago, I was so sure that you wouldn't be staying," Jack commented out loud as he put Daniel to bed and tucked him in. "Now look at me." He needed to do some serious planning for the future.

After a moment's contemplation, he leaned down and kissed Daniel's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Danny. Everything's going to be alright now." He would do his best to ensure it would be.


	22. A Few Minor Hiccups

This is the last part so far – the next one isn't being very co-operative! But stay tuned and I hope to have it up in a week or so. A big thank you to those who have given feedback on all the parts so far g 

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**Part 22** - **A Few Minor Hiccups**

**Sunday, 30th November**

"Jack, wake up, wake up!" Daniel assessed his brother to see if he was sleeping peacefully, then put two small hands on his outstretched arm and pushed. "Wake up!"

"Wha-?" Jack was ripped from sleep by the shaking and the insistent voice. "Daniel?"

"You're late!" Daniel said enthusiastically, bouncing up and down. "You have to take me to day-care so I can tell Cassie and Robert about Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom and Khufu and Thanksgiving and going to the park and the zoo and the hippos and the trains and Aladdin and the jack-oooozi and the jigsaw and--"

"Whoa!" Jack exclaimed, fully awake now. "Daniel, do you know what day it is?"

"Yep! Today!" Daniel replied happily.

"Daniel, it's Sunday," Jack corrected. "There's no day-care on Sundays."

That took some of the wind out of Daniel's sails. "Why not?" he wanted to know.

"Because Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest." Although Jack privately thought that it would no longer be that for him.

"But I just woke up!" Daniel protested. "I don't want to rest!" He crawled onto the bed beside Jack.

"So I gathered," Jack muttered sarcastically, resigning himself to a busy day; just as well he didn't have a hangover.

"Was your date fun?" Daniel inquired next.

"Yes, it was."

"I had fun with Lou," Daniel reported, settling himself right next to Jack. "His super-dooper milkshake was super-dooper!" He giggled at his own joke. "If we can't go to day-care, can we play 'Snap'?" Daniel continued, eager to show Jack the new game he had learnt.

"Wait until after breakfast," Jack instructed, knowing that he would need the energy to keep up with Daniel.

"Can we watch 'Aladdin'?"

"Daniel."

Oh yeah, he wasn't allowed to do that. "Can we play 'Snakes and Ladders'?" Daniel persisted.

"Alright, that's it!" Jack sat up, caught Daniel around the waist and started tickling him. "Time for the Tickle Monster!"

"Jack!" Daniel fell onto his back and started giggling, bringing his legs up to try and stop the onslaught. "That tickles!"

"That's the point!" Jack continued tickling for a minute and then began blowing raspberries on Daniel's exposed stomach.

Daniel's giggles got louder as the stubble on Jack's cheeks tickled him even more. "Jack! Stop it!" he protested half-heartedly.

"Not until you say the magic word." Jack blew another raspberry.

"Please!"

"Nope, that's not it!" And another one.

"Jack, I want some breakfast!" Daniel managed to say in between giggles.

"Breakfast!" Jack's face lit up in exaggerated delight. "That's the magic word!" He picked Daniel up and headed out of the bedroom.

"Jack, I'm upside down!" Daniel pointed out to his big brother, who looked down in pretend surprise.

"Why, so you are." He turned Daniel up the right way. "I wonder how that happened?"

Daniel's face was red from giggling and being upside down but it was also alive with joy. "You were being silly!"

"Was I? Are you sure?" Jack put the little boy down on a chair and started to organise breakfast.

"Yep. Daddy is silly like this sometimes," Daniel said happily, remembering those fun times.

From what Jack remembered of Melburn, he had a hard time seeing the man as playful. "What about Mom?"

"She tickles me lots," Daniel stated with a grin. Then his face fell as he remembered that his mommy would never tickle him again. "Jack?"

"Yes, kiddo?" Jack caught the change in tone and responded accordingly.

"Can you tickle me lots too?" Maybe then it would be like his parents were still with him.

"You betcha." Jack swallowed the lump in his throat at the innocent request and put a bowl of cereal in front of his brother.

"Good." Satisfied with that, Daniel ate his breakfast with gusto. When he had finished, he asked, "Can we play 'Snap' now?"

Jack chuckled at the persistence. "Give me some time to eat, Danny."

"You eat slow," Daniel commented, swinging his legs.

"You eat fast," Jack countered before starting on his coffee.

Daniel was silent for a few seconds, unable to think of a comeback to that. Then he asked, "What're you drinking?"

"Coffee."

"Can I try some?"

Jack looked at the eager face and decided that a little bit wouldn't hurt. "Just a sip," he instructed. He made sure he kept a hand on the mug so that Daniel didn't get too much of the caffeine by accident.

Daniel screwed up his nose at the taste. "Yuck!"

Jack had to grin. "It tastes better when you're older," he stated.

Daniel shook his head. "I'm _never_ going to drink coffee." He watched Jack drinking for a minute, his legs still swinging, and then shared, "Lou and I acted out my story last night."

"Which one?"

"'Androcles and the Lion'," Daniel replied. "Lou was the lion but he wasn't really scary even though he went 'Rrawl!'" The little boy made the appropriate expression and clawed hand movements.

Jack put his hand over his heart in pretend shock. "Whoa! That looked pretty scary to me."

Daniel giggled at the silliness. "Does not!"

"Does too!" Jack argued back. "I thought you were a real lion then."

"Ja-ack, I can't be a real lion," Daniel admonished his brother in a serious tone. Everyone knew that people couldn't become animals.

"Why not?" Jack queried, enjoying the silly conversation. Even though he had a sense of humour, he rarely got time to play like he had been this morning. His life had become too serious, he realised, resolving to start changing that immediately.

Daniel sighed, a strangely grown-up sound. "Because I'm a boy," he explained patiently. "Boys can only change into animals in stories."

"What about girls? Can they change into animals?" Jack asked, trying to match Daniel's seriousness but not succeeding.

"No, because they're people too, and people can't be animals." Daniel shook his head at Jack's lack of knowledge on the subject. "Didn't Mommy teach you that?"

"I think she must have forgotten to mention that," Jack replied, finishing off his coffee. "Okay, bathroom first," he ordered.

Daniel was out of the kitchen like a shot. He was looking forward to teaching Jack how to play the new games, even if Jack didn't want to or already knew how to play them.

Jack had a different idea. Since it was a nice day outside, not too cold, he decided to take Daniel into the backyard to do some normal kids stuff while the little boy had heaps of energy. They played football, with Jack letting Daniel cheat as much as possible, then played catch with Jack's baseball and glove - which Daniel wasn't very good at - and finally they had an improvised game of 'chasey' where the person who was 'it' had to give the other a five-second start. Jack knew enough about playing with children to let Daniel catch him after a reasonable amount of time.

It was at the end of the game that the accident occurred. As Daniel chased Jack, he tripped and landed heavily on the path leading to the back door. After a couple of seconds stunned silence, he burst into tears, his hands and one elbow stinging.

Jack was quick off the mark, spinning around and coming to Daniel's aid. He helped his little brother sit up and then examined Daniel's hands. There were a couple of small grazes on each palm but nothing too serious. "Hey, it's okay, they're not too bad," he tried to comfort Daniel. "Does it hurt anywhere else?"

"My-my elbow," Daniel said haltingly, showing Jack the elbow in question.

Jack carefully moved the coat sleeve up to see a red mark but no scrapes on the elbow. "I think you just banged it a little," he reported, pulling the sleeve back down. "But how about we fix up the others?"

"'Kay," Daniel agreed tearfully. He let himself be carried inside to the bathroom and then be placed on the bench next to the basin. Once there, he held out his hands and said, "Mo- gulp -Mommy always ki- hic -kisses my ouchies be- sniff -better."

"She does, does she?" Jack looked at the grazed hands and thought about all the germs there. Then he looked at Daniel's red-rimmed eyes and knew what he had to do. He planted a quick kiss next to each injury. "How's that? Better?"

"A-a little," Daniel replied, noting that his hands hurt less. "'Nother one?"

"After I've cleaned them," Jack bargained. He searched through the bathroom cabinet and found the Band-Aids, some cotton buds, and the antiseptic. He prepared the latter two first and told Daniel, "Now, I need you to be brave for me, okay? This may sting a little bit but it'll make your hands better."

Daniel sniffed loudly and eyed the cotton bud warily but said, "O-okay." He trusted Jack's word. When the bud touched his hands, fresh tears came to his eyes but he tried bravely not to cry again.

"Good boy," Jack praised when he had finished cleaning the grazes. He grabbed a couple of tissues and helped Daniel blow his nose, noticing that the kid was breathing through his mouth. Then he opened a couple of Band-Aids. "Look at these, Danny. Dinosaurs."

Daniel looked at them with interest; he had never seen anything like them before. After they were put on his hands, he carefully traced over one, liking the brightly-coloured dinosaurs. "Why are there dinosaurs on there?" he asked Jack, only used to the plain sticky bandages.

"They help scare away all the germs," Jack replied, putting everything away. "Now, do they still hurt?"

Daniel nodded, even though most of the stinging had faded, and held out his hands, sniffing for effect.

Jack smiled as he obediently kissed both hands again and then the sore elbow. "All better now?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel was pleased that his brother's kisses were almost as good as Mommy's and took away the pain. Still, he held his arms out, wanting Jack to carry him because he still felt upset at falling over.

Another look at the tear-stained face had Jack lifting Daniel into his arms. He settled the boy onto one hip and then used his free hand to help wash Daniel's face. After that, he carried Daniel out into the living room and suggested, "How about we play 'Snap' for a while?" That should be a nice safe activity.

Daniel thought that was a wonderful idea and nodded enthusiastically.

They spent half an hour or so doing that, with Jack doing his best to lose but finding it hard to stop his reflexes. Then Jack decided to teach his brother how to play checkers. Daniel was a quick study, finding it most amusing to make his red circles jump over Jack's black ones.

And that, Jack realised, had successfully filled in most of the morning. He decided to put a load of washing on, and got Daniel to help gather up the dirty clothes. Then together they made the beds, Daniel helping as best he could, mainly by getting in the way.

Jack decided, as he cooked lunch, that figuring out what to eat for each meal was one of the hardest things about looking after Daniel. He chose to cook sausages and vegetables, with a piece of fruit for dessert, and therefore would have something simpler for dinner. Iris had given him a list of suitable meals for young boys and Jack was going to try to stick to it while he found out what foods Daniel would eat. Then he would be able to get into a routine, which would make life a little easier.

As Jack was preparing lunch, Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table, working in his alphabet book. After awhile, he became distracted by his slipper which was starting to fall off his foot. He looked under the table and tried to fix it using his other foot but it didn't work. The fixing up soon segued into a foot fight, Daniel holding his legs out straight so that his feet could attack each other.

"What _are_ you doing?" Jack queried when he turned and saw Daniel looking under the table.

"My feet are fighting," Daniel replied, keeping his eyes on the action. His right foot was starting to gain the upper hand - so to speak - and he started cheering it on. "Go, foot! Go, go!"

Jack bent down so that he could see what had Daniel so engrossed and smiled at the sight. He had the feeling that Claire had encouraged Daniel's silly side often to keep the kid normal. "Well, good luck to both feet," he said, straightening up.

Daniel didn't reply as he was too busy concentrating. At last, the left foot triumphed, knocking the slipper off the right foot. "Yeah, it won!" he exclaimed, forgetting that he had been barracking for the right foot less than a minute before.

"Congratulations," Jack said, putting the cutlery on the table. "Now put your slipper back on and go wash your hands."

"Okay." Daniel slid under the table, retrieved his slipper and put it on the correct foot, and then headed off to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later he was back ready to eat lunch. Jack cut Daniel's sausages into bite-sized pieces so the little boy couldn't make too much of a mess, and then they both started eating.

At the end of the meal, Daniel looked expectantly at Jack. "Are we having ice-cream?" He liked this new dessert very much.

"Not today," Jack replied, gathering the dishes and putting them on the sink.

"Why not?" Daniel pouted; he was used to having it every day since he had been in Jack's care.

"Because we'll make something different for dinner tonight." Jack had already thought of doing some easy cooking with Daniel during the afternoon, something like cookies or jello.

Daniel crossed his arms and slouched down in his chair. "I want ice-cream."

_Okay, this is new_, Jack thought as he looked at his brother; how should he handle it? Last time Daniel had thrown a tantrum, the little boy had hidden under the bed. Actually, that wasn't really a tantrum but it had been close. "Well, we're not having any today."

"Mommy would let me have some," Daniel argued, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.

"Maybe some days but not every day," Jack pointed out. "Anyway, if you have ice-cream now, you won't be able to fit in the cookies we're going to make later," he tried to bribe Daniel.

"Don't want cookies. Want ice-cream," Daniel persisted.

_Bribery obviously doesn't work then_, Jack decided; _so what will?_ "Daniel, if you don't stop that, you won't get anything."

Daniel's lower lip quivered at the thought of missing out on a treat entirely. In Egypt, he had understood from an early age that treats like ice-cream were scarce and had to be earned by good behaviour; in contrast, bad behaviour had meant missing out on treats. "B-but I've been good," he protested, a little tearfully. "I helped with the beds and the laundry, and I didn't cry when you put the ouchy stuff on my hands."

Jack sighed and wondered whether this was typical four-year-old logic. "I know that, Danny, you've been very good this morning." He sat down and then reached over to bring the little boy to sit on his lap. "And most of the time, whether you get ice-cream or not won't depend on how good you are but on what else we're having that day. Now, it just so happens that I have some easy-to-bake chocolate-chip cookies that we can have as a snack this afternoon. Once you're back at day-care and I'm at work, we can have ice-cream after dinner but on the weekends, we'll have something different, a mid-afternoon snack, okay?"

Daniel wasn't pleased at missing out on the ice-cream but he nodded his head. The chocolate-chip cookies sounded like they might be nice. "Okay," he reluctantly agreed. He started picking at the Band-Aids as he sulked.

"We have to learn to live with each other," Jack continued. "I know you miss Egypt and your parents but you have to remember that there are different rules here and different ways of doing things. You're probably not going to like some of those things but I'll try my best to make them good. And you're going to have to help me sometimes by telling me what you used to do but if I change it, I don't want you to sulk or argue with me."

That was a long speech to work through and Daniel took a moment to figure out what Jack was saying. He worked it out as: Jack was going to be nice most of the time but sometimes he would have to be mean and say 'no' to things and Daniel wasn't supposed to be upset about it. "What if it's really important?" He didn't want important things to be changed, like bathtimes or hugs.

"Then you'll have to tell me, okay?" Jack squeezed Daniel's middle and kissed the top of his head at the same time.

Daniel nodded but didn't say anything. He snuggled back against Jack's chest for a minute, missing his parents keenly. It wasn't fair that he couldn't go back to Egypt but he liked living with Jack, even if there were lots of rules. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be bad."

"You weren't bad, Danny... well, not too bad, anyway," Jack said with a grin. "Now, how about we go finish off that laundry?" he suggested, wanting something to distract Daniel with.

"Okay." Daniel hopped off Jack's lap and headed towards the laundry at a sedate pace, holding his older brother's hand.

After the laundry was done, Daniel watched 'Aladdin' again and had a nap in the middle of it while Jack read some magazines. And then it was time for the cookies! Jack got an old shirt of his and put it on Daniel to protect his clothes from getting messy, and then together they made some chocolate chip cookies using the easy-bake method - which, fortunately, meant that Daniel didn't get too dirty. Then, in what he later thought was a fit of madness, he decided to make a cake from the box of mixture he found in the cupboard. Daniel loved stirring, getting the chocolate flour everywhere except in the bowl. Jack brushed off the shirt into the bowl and did the final mixing, then after pouring the mixture into a cake tin, allowed Daniel to lick the bowl. The consequence of that was that Daniel ended up with chocolate everywhere on his face, including his hair. But that apparently didn't worry the little boy; he was wearing a huge grin, pleased with being allowed to have a treat.

"When can we eat it?" Daniel asked, already wanting more.

"Well, the cake's going to take a while but the cookies are already done," Jack replied, taking them out of the oven and putting the tray carefully on the bench. "Uh-uh, don't touch, they're hot!" he warned as Daniel came over to see if he could pinch one.

Daniel obediently pulled his hand back and waited impatiently, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Can I have one yet?" he asked after thirty seconds.

Jack gingerly touched one. "Still a bit hot, kiddo. Let's get you cleaned up and by the time we've done that, they should be ready."

"Okay." Daniel stood still while Jack washed his face and then he started bouncing again. "Now?"

"Now," Jack agreed. He put several cookies onto a plate and put it on the kitchen table. "Sit up there and don't make too many crumbs."

Daniel scrambled to obey. Cookies had been another rare treat in Egypt - this kind of chocolate chip ones anyway. In contrast to the way he usually ate, he went slowly, savouring the chocolate taste as he devoured three cookies and half a glass of milk. Then he beamed at Jack. "Can we have the cake now?"

"Only if you want it half-cooked," Jack replied. "And if you have it now, we won't be able to put icing on it." He held up the packet with the icing powder in it.

Daniel looked at the white packet quizzically. "That's not icing," he stated. "That's paper."

"The icing is inside and we need to make it." Jack checked on the timer for the oven - ten minutes to go. Then they would have to let the cake cool down too. "Let's take the shirt off and then you can go do some drawing or reading, whatever, for a while."

"Okay." Daniel helped Jack take the shirt off and then he raced into his room, which wasn't far away. Once there, he stopped and thought about what he wanted to do. He realised then that he had never investigated Jack's bedroom although he had been in it several times. Figuring that Jack wouldn't mind, he went next door into the room.

There wasn't much to see, just a bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers. Daniel opened the wardrobe and had a look inside. There were lots of clothes hanging up and some shoes at the bottom. And tucked away in one corner was a black case shaped like a guitar. Daniel's eyes lit up at the sight. Jack could play the guitar!

Forgetting about the rest of the room, he ran back to the kitchen. "Jack! Can you play me something on the guitar? Pleeeease?"

Jack turned to look suspiciously at the little boy. "Daniel, how do you know I have a guitar?"

"I was investating your room," Daniel explained, not knowing that he had done anything wrong.

"Investigating," Jack corrected. He crouched down in front of his brother. "Daniel, this is very important. Did you look in the bedside table?"

"Nope. Can you play for me? Mommy plays all the time," Daniel informed him. He loved singing along with her.

Jack was very relieved that Daniel hadn't investigated any further as he kept a pistol in the drawer next to his bed. He hadn't remembered about that and he realised that he would have to move it so that Daniel could never find it. "Yes, I'll play later but Daniel, this is a very important rule." He made sure the little boy was looking straight at him. "Never go into my room without either me or my permission, okay? It's alright at night-time but during the day, you have to stay out."

"Why?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Because there's some things in there that little boys shouldn't play with," Jack explained. "Now go and do something in _your_ room."

Daniel sighed; that was not fair. "Okay." He walked out of the kitchen and into his bedroom.

Jack also left the kitchen, going to his own bedroom and shifting the gun into the highest drawer in the chest, well out of Daniel's reach. He also switched the safety on, just in case. He should have known better than to have a gun within easy reach of an inquisitive child.

The rest of the afternoon flew by. They made the icing for the cake and then spread it on the top; Daniel got plenty of the icing on his face as well as he licked the bowl. Jack then took Daniel for a walk around the neighbourhood, only going for a few blocks from their house. After that, they had chicken pasta for dinner, followed by a small slice of cake.

Jack got out his guitar after dinner. Despite not having played for a couple of years, he found the tunes flooding back as he played a few songs for his brother, receiving a rapt audience who didn't know when he made mistakes. He even taught Daniel how to sing 'Frere Jacques', which turned out to be very popular because it was in another language, and Daniel got Jack to write it down with the English translation so he could learn all the words.

Then it was bathtime for Daniel, and finally, bedtime. Jack tucked Daniel in, checked the room for monsters, then read his brother a story - complete with voices. Then he kissed Daniel goodnight and left the little boy to go to sleep, and retired to the living room to watch some television; he figured he needed the reward after surviving the mini-crises today. Maybe he was finally getting the hang of this parenting thing.


	23. A Little Bit of Trouble

Sorry for the wait – some of this refused to get written until I could come up with the right plot, so here it is. Enjoy!

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**Part 23 - A Little Bit of Trouble **

**Monday, 1st December**

Jack had no trouble getting an enthusiastic Daniel off to day-care in the morning. There were a few moments when they got out of the car that worried Jack because Daniel went quiet. But then Cassie appeared and Daniel rushed off to talk to his friend, eager to share his news. Jack was a little miffed that Daniel was so glad to leave him this week but happy that the kid _could_ leave him for a short time.

Then he smiled as he watched the two children compare wounds: Daniel proudly showed Cassie the dinosaur band-aids on his hands, and the little girl rolled up her jeans to show off the bright green band-aid on her knee. 'War' wounds, he thought with amusement; when one was young, and the shock of the accident was gone, scratches and the like were something to be proud of. He had a number of scars on his body from his service in the Air Force but he couldn't say he was proud of them because most of them represented failure of some kind. Jack sighed; what it would be like to be a child again!

He left Daniel at day-care and then headed to the base where he would have to be an adult for eight hours or so.

Daniel had a wonderful morning, playing with his new friends and sharing the news of all that had happened over the weekend. He learnt that Cassie had also visited her grandparents for Thanksgiving but Robert had stayed in Colorado Springs with his parents, and that they had both visited the zoo before but neither of them were a 'parent' to an animal like he was.

There was more singing at day-care, and they painted their clay figures that they had done the previous week, and there was lots of playing outside when the weather was good. There was even a small 'show-and-tell' session where the children got to share their Thanksgiving experiences with the others in their age group. Daniel didn't see the teachers' expressions when he had casually mentioned that his parents were angels; he probably wouldn't have understood them anyway.

At lunchtime, when Daniel, Cassie and Robert were playing outside, Adam took the opportunity to make a nuisance of himself again. He walked over and pinched Daniel to get his attention.

"Hey!" Daniel protested, turning to Adam in annoyance.

"Your parents are dead," Adam announced, hands on hips.

"No, they're not," Daniel denied. "They're angels."

"There's no such thing as angels," Adam provoked, determined to pick on Daniel.

"Tis too!"

"Tis not!"

"Tis too!" This time, Daniel had vocal support from his two friends who were nearby.

"Nuh-uh." Adam was adamant in his argument. "They're just dead and they're never ever coming back."

Daniel's eyes filled with tears as he tried desperately to cling to Jack's remembered words about his parents. "They are too! Angels can hear everything and they can visit me too!"

"They can not! That's just what mommies and daddies say but it's not true."

"You're a liar!" Daniel proclaimed and ran inside, tears blinding his path.

Alice saw him run through the main area into the quiet room and decided to go after him. As she did, two more little flashes arrived in the form of Cassie and Robert; both of them wanted to help Daniel. Alice made them stay just outside the room while she went inside. Daniel was burrowed into one corner, knees tucked to his chest, and he was crying quietly. Quietly going over to him, Alice crouched down and said, "What's wrong, Daniel?"

"A-Adam was me-mean to me," he explained haltingly. "I want Ja-Jack." His big brother would make everything alright again and tell Adam that he was wrong and to stop being mean.

"Honey, Jack is working right now," Alice told him gently. "Is it something you can tell me?"

"H-he said they weren't a-angels, that they were just d-dead," Daniel sobbed, not having any defences against this cruel act. "But they are a-angels 'cos I se-seen them so he-he's lying."

Alice resolved to have a talk with Adam's mother when she came to collect the child later. She didn't know why the boy had taken to picking on Daniel but she would do her best to make sure it stopped. Alice sat down next to Daniel and put an arm around his shoulders. "He was just saying those things to upset you."

"Why?" Daniel wanted to know. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to do that.

"I don't know. Sometimes people just do those kind of things," Alice tried to explain while comforting him.

Daniel didn't think that was very fair. He had never come across anyone in Egypt who had been deliberately mean to him like Adam was. "I want t-to talk to Jack." He needed something familiar in these strange surroundings that were nothing like where he had grown up, and since he couldn't have his parents or Thoth, the next best thing would be his brother who loved him. "Pl-please?"

Alice thought quickly and came up with a strategy. It wasn't usual to ring parents or guardians unless the child was sick, injured or in serious trouble, but Daniel's circumstances were different. "How about we call him? Would that be okay?"

Daniel nodded; it was better than nothing. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and sucked hard as Alice picked him up, carrying him out of the room into the small office near the front of the building. Cassie and Robert trailed behind, offering Daniel reassurances as they walked. Inside the office, Alice rang the Cheyenne Mountain base and asked to speak to Captain Jack O'Neill.

Jack's day had been pretty ordinary, spending some time on the shooting range and in the gym. Lou had asked plenty of questions about his date with Sara but Jack had avoided revealing too much, just giving out snippets of information to annoy his friend. Lou teased back, commenting on the shortest date he had ever seen. Jack took it in good humour although a part of him wondered whether Sara had been miffed at being home so early. He shook his head; Sara had seemed to understand that he had needed to be there for Daniel. Hopefully, the dates would get longer as Daniel got used to him going out.

He was just leaving the commissary after some lunch when he was called to the phone. When questioned, all the airman delivering the message would say was that it was from the day-care centre. Jack immediately imagined the worst. Why would they be calling? Had Daniel been injured at day-care?

"O'Neill," he said, picking up the phone.

Captain, this is Alice from the day-care centre, the woman started to say.

"What happened? Is Daniel alright?" Jack asked, interrupting to find out what was going on.

One of the boys here said some nasty things to Daniel and he's a little upset right now, Alice explained. He wants to talk to you.

Jack's mind flittered through all the possible nasty things that could have been said as the phone was handed over to Daniel. When he heard the sniffles, he knew that his brother had the phone. "Hey, kiddo. What happened?"

Adam said they were just dead and not angels and I said he was a liar and he was, wasn't he, Jack? Daniel stated.

When Jack realised that the 'they' were Daniel's parents, he started seething. What kind of child went around telling other kids that dead was dead? Knowing that Daniel was waiting for an answer, he calmed himself down and said, "He just doesn't know the truth about angels, Danny. Some people, when they don't know about things, they try to hurt those people who do."

Why?

"Because that's the way they are," Jack tried to explain, unable to find a better reason. "Now if Adam says anything like that again, you just walk away from him and go tell a teacher, okay?"

Okay. Love you, Jack.

Jack smiled. "Love you too, kiddo. Can you tell Alice I want a word?"

"Uh-huh. Jack wants a word," Daniel said, holding the phone out to the lady. When she started talking to Jack, Daniel rested his head on her shoulder, feeling better now that he had talked to his big brother. He had known that Jack would make it all better, just like he had with the ouchies. Sitting on Alice's lap was nice too, though; she kind of felt like Mommy but didn't have the same smell which he liked.

When Alice was finished with the phone call, it was only a few minutes until story time so she took Daniel and the other two there straight away to get settled. She settled Daniel on one of the chairs at the back so that she could have a quick talk with Adam, and she promised she would be right back when the little boy showed no sign of letting go. Reluctantly, Daniel released her and sat on the chair, letting Cassie and Robert chat to him while he waited for Alice to return. When she did, he sat on her lap, wanting the comfort of someone holding him while he listened to the story being told.

Meanwhile, over at the base, Jack's anger had redirected itself from Adam to the boy's father - Captain Robert Makepeace. What kind of father taught his kid that dead was just plain dead? He had never been overly judgmental on how parents raised their children but since Daniel had come into his life, he had started thinking about things he'd never had to before. And right now, he was thinking that he really wanted to hit something - or someone.

He found Makepeace in the gym, training with a few other Marines. Jack went over to the man, who was equal in height but a little stockier, and said, "What have you been teaching your kid?"

Makepeace caught the aggressive tone and backed away slightly, not in the mood for a confrontation. "About what?"

"Death. I've just had the day-care centre on the phone because your kid was spouting off about dead just being dead and upsetting my brother whose parents have just died!" Jack explained, his fists clenched at his side.

"Listen, O'Neill, I'm sorry," Makepeace stated, not exactly seeing what the problem was. "I'll have a word with him."

"You'd better," Jack growled, then turned away.

"Just out of curiosity, what does your brother think happened to his parents?" Makepeace asked, not able to leave well enough alone.

Jack spun around. "He thinks they're angels. Why doesn't your kid?"

"Because I teach mine the truth," Makepeace replied.

"They're four years old!" Jack exclaimed. "They've got plenty of time to learn the truth later. Or is it that you don't want any son of yours to believe in angels? Did you tell him there's no Santa Claus too?"

"Don't you dare!" It was Makepeace's turn to clench his fists at the slur on his parenting skills. "You're only play-acting at being a father so don't tell me what I should be doing!"

"Why? Afraid I'm right?" Jack taunted.

"I have every right to teach my kids what I believe in!" Makepeace argued.

"And my brother has every right to believe that his parents are angels!" Jack shot back. "No-one should have the right to tell him differently if that's what he wants to believe! So teach your kid to keep his opinions to himself!"

"Why don't you teach yours not to be such a cry-baby?"

Jack swung at Makepeace, his fist connecting with the Marine's jaw. Makepeace recovered fast and threw a punch at Jack, which landed on the latter's cheekbone. Before any more punches were thrown, the two combatants were pulled apart; fighting amongst each other was a punishable offence.

Ferretti and Kawalsky, who had followed Jack to the gym but a few minutes behind, pulled their friend from the room, trying to get him to calm down. However Jack was too riled up to do so straight away. How _dare_ Makepeace insult Daniel like that! He had deserved that punch!

As he cooled down though, he realised he had done a stupid thing. He wasn't setting a very good example for Daniel to follow, allowing his fists to argue for him. He had just seen red at the insult, and he had already been mad at the fact Daniel was being picked on. His cheek ached and he knew he was going to have a bruise there, which would make hiding the incident difficult both from General Hammond and from his observant little brother. _Stupid, O'Neill, really stupid_, he berated himself.

Jack allowed himself to be escorted by his friends down to the infirmary to get some ice on his injury. Doctor Janet Fraiser was on duty, a petite brunette who stood no nonsense and had half the personnel terrified of her, especially when they came in with injuries like this.

"And what have you been up to?" she asked when she saw the reddening marks on Jack's cheek and knuckles. Janet ushered him to one of the beds where he could sit for her examination.

"I forgot to duck," Jack said lightly, trying on to get drawn on what had happened.

Janet shook her head; these soldiers were all alike in trying to hide the truth. She pressed carefully on the bruised cheeks, determining that there was no fracture underneath in the bone, and then organised some ice to put on it. At least her adopted daughter Cassie wouldn't grow up to be like this... well, she hoped that she wouldn't. "Next time, try to remember," she ordered.

"Yes, Doc," Jack replied automatically, though he couldn't promise anything.

"Before I forget," Janet continued, "how is it going with your brother? Daniel, isn't it? Cassie told me all about him last week." Her daughter had been full of information about her new friend.

"Cassie's your kid?" Jack was surprised as the two didn't look anything alike.

"Yes, she is. So, how are you coping? I know how tough it can be to raise a child by yourself."

"We're doing okay," Jack stated, thinking that overall, he had handled things reasonably well with Daniel so far.

"Good. If you need any advice, feel free to knock on my door," Janet offered as one single parent to another. "Especially if you're worried about his health. I'm not a paediatrician but I've been through everything with Cassie," she added.

"Sure." Jack thought that could be a good idea because then he wouldn't have to look far for a doctor for Daniel, however uncomfortable he might feel at asking advice from Fraiser.

Janet checked Jack's knuckles - no bleeding but they were red and tender - and then dismissed him from the infirmary.

Jack had to face General Hammond's inquiry into the fight not too long after, and he was given a stern warning and a reprimand placed on his record. So Jack was in a bad mood when he went to pick up Daniel.

That changed when he saw Daniel though. The little boy was sitting at a table doing some reading, Cassie nearby, but he didn't look happy. Jack immediately crossed over to his brother's side. "Hey, kiddo," he said softly, crouching down beside Daniel.

"Jack!" Daniel was off his chair and in his brother's arms in an instant. He buried his face in the crook of Jack's neck and took comfort in the welcoming warmth of the big-person arms. "I don't like Adam."

"I know. You don't have to like him," Jack replied, rubbing Daniel's back. He stood up, taking the little boy with him, and looked around in case Adam's mother was nearby. When he couldn't see her, he turned his attention to Daniel again. "Did you make anything today?"

Daniel nodded, the corner of his glasses rubbing against Jack's skin. "We painted our clay stuff and made a cat-pillar out of stockings and pipes," he informed his big brother. Pointing with one hand, he said, "Over there."

Jack collected the items Daniel said were his - including a stocking catepillar stuffed with newspaper - and then got the kid's backpack and coat, ready to leave. Alice stopped them and had a brief chat with Jack, informing him that she had talked to Adam's mother, Linda, who was going to speak to her son about acceptable behaviour. Jack thought that was good as Linda had seemed sensible when he had met her last week.

He took a clingy Daniel home and spent some time playing with him, pleased when he managed to get a smile out of the little boy. They had dinner - with the ice-cream for dessert as Jack had promised - and then settled down to watch some 'Simpsons', Daniel firmly seated on his brother's lap. Towards the end of the show, Daniel finally inquired, "Did you fall down too?"

"What?" For a moment, Jack couldn't think of what he meant.

"Your ouchies," Daniel said, pointing to Jack's knuckles. "How come they don't have a dinosaur on them?"

_Dinosaur? Oh, the band-aids_, Jack realised. "No, I didn't fall down. I... hit the punching bag too hard at work today." It wasn't exactly a lie if one thought of Makepeace as a punching bag.

"Poor Jack," Daniel commented, patting his brother's arm. He looked up at Jack and noticed the bruise."How did you get that?"

"The punching bag fought back," Jack replied, hoping that Daniel would believe him.

"Does it hurt?" Daniel carefully touched it, fascinated by the large lump.

"Not very much," Jack stated, moving Daniel's hand away from it. "How about you go get your toys for the bath? I'll be there in a minute. Just get the toys and wait for me," he instructed so that Daniel wouldn't be tempted to do anything else like turn on the water.

"Okay." Daniel slid off Jack's lap and headed quietly out of the room.

Bathtime was also quiet, making Jack resort to actually playing with Daniel in order to get the kid to smile. Afterwards, Jack read him two stories and tucked Daniel into bed, Thoth on one side and Khufu on the other to protect him against bad dreams. Then he kissed Daniel goodnight and as he walked back to the living room, he hoped that tomorrow would be a better day for both of them.


	24. Shopping and some Unexpected Packages

This part was going to be a lot longer but I decided to split it in half so that you don't have to wait so long in between parts! Enjoy g .

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**Part 24 - Shopping/Some Unexpected Packages**

**Tuesday 2nd December**

Jack wasn't entirely surprised when he woke up in the middle of the night and found Daniel in bed with him, Thoth tucked protectively under one arm and a thumb firmly in the kid's mouth. It had been a rough day yesterday for Daniel and Jack was proud that he had been able to help his brother get through it. He rolled onto his side to watch Daniel sleep; the kid looked so peaceful. One would hardly imagine that his world had been turned upside-down just over a week ago. Daniel was proving to be very adaptable, except for a few tantrums when things hadn't gone the way he had expected them to.

He smiled as Daniel snuffled in his sleep and turned onto his side to face Jack. He meant 'safe' to the little boy; he couldn't think of the last time he had meant that to anybody. He wouldn't let Daniel down.

The next day passed in ordinary fashion with Daniel bravely going back to day-care, determined not to let Adam annoy him. To his surprise, Adam didn't come near him all day, obviously content with just pulling faces at him. Daniel did what Jack had advised and ignored him, playing happily with his friends. He was getting used to life in this strange country but he still missed Egypt a lot. It made him sad sometimes to think that he wouldn't be able to go back there until he was bigger but, as he couldn't stay sad for long, he soon forgot about it again.

After day-care, Jack took Daniel to a supermarket to stock up on groceries since they hadn't been food shopping since before the little boy had arrived. He lifted Daniel into the front of the cart so that his brother could stand up but not wander away, and then headed down the first aisle.

Daniel was full of questions about all the American products he could see. He was used to bazaars and outdoor markets, not this. When his brother went past the packets of porridge, Daniel shouted, "Jack! Jack!"

"What?" Jack stopped the cart.

"Porridge!" Daniel pointed to the items they had just passed. "Can we get porridge pleeease?" he pleaded.

Jack backed up a little and surveyed the various products. There were so many to choose from, he wasn't sure which would be the best. "Do you want plain or flavoured porridge?" he asked.

Flavoured? Daniel moved to get a better look at the boxes and carefully read the descriptions. There was apple, honey, blackberry, strawberry and a number of other flavours, and he was intrigued that porridge didn't have to be plain. He wanted to try a different flavour but he didn't know which one to pick. He looked up at Jack for advice. "I don't know which one."

"How about we get a plain and a... a honey?" Jack suggested, looking over all the options again. The honey-flavoured one would probably be nice enough for him to eat it if Daniel wouldn't.

"Okay!" Daniel was happy to abide by that decision. He reached for the honey one but found he couldn't get it without upsetting the cart so he had to wait for Jack to hand it to him. As Jack pushed the cart along the aisle, Daniel read the back of the box. "Jack, what's a sach-et?" he asked, pronouncing the 'ch' and 't' the way he had been taught.

"Sachet," Jack corrected the pronounciation. "It means a little package."

"I don't want packages. I want porridge," Daniel protested, worried that they had got the wrong item.

Jack took the box from him to get more information about the product. "It _is_ porridge. They put the porridge into little packages, then you open them, mix it with milk, and then heat it to make the porridge," he explained.

"Oh." That was okay then. Daniel put the box down and started scanning the shelves again.

It took Jack thirty minutes to do the food shopping with Daniel in tow, much longer than when he was by himself. He had to field lots of questions, and since they had to go up every aisle to find the foods that Iris recommended or that Daniel would eat, it all took time. It was much more expensive too, Jack found out when he went to the checkout. Looking over the food he had got for Daniel, he wondered how anyone so small was be able to eat so much. There was the porridge, fruit, vegetables, extra milk... he wasn't going to have enough hands to carry it all.

"What is she doing, Jack?" Daniel asked as the lady at the checkout scanned all the items.

"Adding up how much we owe for all of this," Jack replied, getting the last of the items out of the cart.

"Do we get to bargain? Daddy can bargain real good," Daniel boasted.

"It's not that kind of shop, Daniel." Jack lifted his brother out of the cart and put him on the floor. "Stay close to me." The supermarket was quite crowded and Jack didn't want Daniel to get lost.

Unable to hold Jack's hand, Daniel grabbed a handful of his brother's trousers and waited for his brother to pay the lady. "Can I have porridge tonight?" he queried.

"No, but you can have it in the morning for breakfast," Jack stated.

That sounded reasonable to Daniel even if he did have to wait longer to have it. "Okay."

In order to carry the bags, Jack put them all back in the cart and pushed it out to the car. Daniel got another ride in it, basically so that Jack had him somewhere safe. Then they went home and played a game of 'guess where this goes' in order to put away the shopping. After that, Jack sent Daniel into the living room to do something like read or draw while he stayed in the kitchen and cooked dinner.

They had some cake for dessert instead of ice-cream while it was still fresh, and after dinner was 'Simpsons' time again, although Daniel opted to read to his toys instead of watching the television. Jack only heard half of the dialogue on the show but figured he would probably get the DVD box set eventually so he would see it properly then. Until then, he decided to tape each show and watch them after Daniel had gone to bed.

The rest of the evening routine - bath, teeth, storytime - passed without a hitch, which was all that Jack had hoped for. Things seemed to be settling down and for that he was grateful; he liked routines.

That reminded him of Sara. Since Daniel was safely in bed, Jack gave Sara a call and after chatting for a while, organised a date for Friday night. Then he hung up and went back to reading the paper and watching some more television.

When he went to bed a few hours later, he was still wearing a grin.

**Thursday 4th December**

Wednesday was another uneventful day and the daily routine ran smoothly - and Daniel loved his porridge for breakfast. Thursday, however, Jack received a phone call while he was at the base to say that the man who ran the Jacksons' dig in Egypt had arrived in Colorado Springs and wanted to deliver some items that now belonged to Daniel. Jack received permission from Hammond to leave for a couple of hours and then he headed home.

Just as he pulled up, a white rental car approached from the other direction. Jack got out of his car and waited for the man to do likewise.

"Jack O'Neill, I presume." The man, who was Arabic in appearance and sporting a short black beard, walked across the grass to met him. "I am Mehet Hassein, manager of the dig. How is young Danyel?"

"He's doing fine," Jack replied, shaking Mehet's hand. "Please, come inside."

"One moment." Mehet went back to his car and opened the trunk. Inside were six large boxes, and on the backseat were three more. "These are all the belongings that I could bring with me." Several students had accompanied him as well but he had left them at the New York museum when he had picked up what personal belongings the archaeologists had brought with them to America.

"That's a lot," Jack commented, looking at all the boxes. "Let me give you a hand."

It took five trips to get all the boxes into the garage. Then Jack invited Mehet into the house for a drink, curious to know how the man had known where to bring the possessions.

"It was mentioned in the will," Mehet replied. "I did email you several days ago but you did not reply."

Jack groaned. "Sorry. With Daniel being here, I haven't checked it since last week."

"That is understandable." Mehet looked around the living room. "Where is young Danyel?"

"He's at day-care. I didn't think to bring him here in the middle of the day," Jack replied. "He has to go there while I work."

Mehet raised an eyebrow. "Does your wife work also?"

"Oh, I'm not married," Jack hastened to tell him. The expression he received at that piece of information indicated that he should remedy the situation soon.

There was some more conversation, Mehet filling Jack in on what it had been like working with Melburn and Claire Jackson, and some of the scrapes Daniel had gotten into over the past few years on the dig site. Then he left Jack to go back the hotel after arranging to come back at five to visit Daniel.

Before Jack went back to the mountain, he went into the garage to peek at a couple of the boxes just in case there were things Daniel shouldn't see; he wanted to open the rest together. The first one he opened held Claire's journals and, curious, he flicked through the most recent one. The last entry, which was a full page, caught his eye.

/_Thursday, 20th November - Today was a busy day. Between setting up the exhibit and shopping for Daniel's Christmas present, there weren't too many hours left. But it was a wonderful day! Daniel came with us today and he was a perfect angel, keeping out of the way of everyone and delighting the staff with his knowledge of the whole exhibition. He's a born archaeologist, and linguist too - he loves chatting away in the different languages he knows. We're both so proud of him - our little genius. _

_/While I was keeping Daniel busy in the book section, Melburn actually found a small set of archaeological tools designed for children. They will be perfect for Christmas as he always wants to borrow ours for his own little 'digs'. I'm looking forward to seeing his face on Christmas morning when he opens them./_

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat; Claire would never get to fulfil that wish. But he would have to find the gift so he could see Daniel's reaction instead.

/_We have three more days here before going home. After a long discussion, we've decided to leave Daniel with a baby-sitter tomorrow as we're going to be setting up the temple and it would be dangerous for a boy his age to be there. As good as he is, there is always the chance that he'll get curious and get underfoot, which I don't want. It will be hard to leave him but I think it's for the best. Every time we discuss setting the temple up, I get a strange feeling, like an accident is going to happen, which is why it will be safer for Daniel not to go to the museum. I don't want anything to happen to him; he's such a special child./_

_An accident did happen, Mom_, Jack thought, closing the journal; _except to you and Melburn, not to Daniel._ He replaced the journal in the box, allowing himself a few moments of grief at knowing what his mother was feeling the day before she died. Now that he knew, he would almost have preferred not to know.

He skimmed through the other boxes to find the archaeological tools and discovered them in the third box. He took them out, tidied up the boxes, and then carried the leather-bound kit inside to his bedroom. There, Jack carefully hid the present in his chest of drawers, ready for Christmas. Then he went back to the base, trying not to think about his mother's journal.

Daniel was full of chatter when Jack picked him up from day-care that afternoon. Jack tried to pay attention to the monologue about singing and building things with blocks but his mind kept thinking about how Daniel was going to handle opening the boxes. Maybe they shouldn't do this tonight, maybe it should wait until they could both handle it better. But Mehet would probably say something about the boxes to Daniel, so it was probably better if Jack said something first, much and all as he felt out of his depth about the whole situation.

"-and when I builded the pyramid, Cassie and Robert thought it was really cool. It was this big!" Daniel demonstrated by holding his hand up to his chest.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Jack said, having heard enough to know when to respond. He helped Daniel, who was carrying another painting, out of the car and led him into the house. "How about we put your picture up?"

Daniel's face lit up with delight as Jack took the painting and stuck it on the fridge with the other one. "That's me and that's you and that's this house," he explained, pointing to the various figures in the painting.

"And who are they?" Jack asked, pointing to some small blobs with legs near the bottom of the page.

"Thoth and Khufu and Taweret," Daniel replied. "I didn't do them big because they're only little," he explained.

"Uh-huh. Well, you did a good job," Jack praised, ruffling Daniel's hair. "Now, how about you go get changed so you can have some milk and then I've got something to show you."

"A camel?" Daniel bounced enthusiastically at the idea.

"No, not a camel," Jack said, unable to stop the grin at the ludicrous suggestion. "But if you hurry up, you'll find out sooner."

That sounded reasonable to Daniel and off he sped, eager to see what the surprise was. Maybe Jack had got a jacuzzi; he would be very happy with that. He quickly got out of his jeans and sweater, and put on the clothes which were lying on his bed. His feet went into the monkey slippers and then he raced back out to the kitchen where half a glass of milk was waiting for him. Daniel got up onto the chair and started drinking.

Coming in after fetching the box of photo albums from the garage, Jack shook his head; he really had to remember _not_ to tell Daniel about surprises before the kid ate. The reason he had brought the box in was because it was too cold outside to be sitting leafing through the albums, and it was probably the best box to start with. Jack didn't feel he could go through the more personal items that his mother and Melburn had owned just yet; that could wait until the weekend when they had more time. "Ready?" he asked when Daniel put the glass down.

"Yep! Is it a jacuzzi?" Daniel questioned, getting down off the chair.

"No, it's not a jacuzzi," Jack replied. He crouched down in front of Daniel and put his hands on the kid's hips to anchor in place for a few seconds. "A man named Mehet Hassein came today and he brought some of your parents' stuff. There's one box in the living room and the rest are in the garage."

"Uncle Mehet?" Daniel queried, remembering the nice man from Egypt.

"Probably. Now, we're going to go and look in the box. If you get too sad or you want to stop, you just tell me, okay, and we'll stop. We don't have to do this all tonight."

Daniel nodded solemnly, matching Jack's mood. "Okay." He could do that. He let Jack take his hand and lead him into the living room. They both sat on the couch, Daniel on Jack's lap, and then Jack opened the box and pulled out the first album.


	25. Visions from the Grave

I hope you all enjoy this part. Again, it was harder to write than most posts, especially the end, but I'm hoping that it all worked out okay g .

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**Part 25 - Visions from the Grave**

"That's you, Jack!" Daniel exclaimed when he saw the old photos that adorned the first page.

"That's me," Jack echoed, swallowing a lump in his throat at the pictures of him as a baby. He hadn't thought about whether his mother had kept the photos of him with her and the fact that she had made him emotional. The pages were worn on the edges from frequent turning, which meant that the photos were well-loved. It was humbling to realise just how much his mother had loved him. And she had shared these photos with Daniel often enough for the kid to recognise him, which meant that she had wanted the little boy to know his brother.

Daniel turned to Jack and looked him over skeptically. "You were little." He couldn't imagine his big brother being as small as him or smaller.

"Yes, I was," Jack told him, turning the page. There were more photos of him as a baby so he figured that maybe this whole album was of him.

Daniel giggled at the sight of baby-Jack having a bath. "Mommy said you wriggled lots and splashed her all the time." He thought that Jack being little and wriggling was the funniest thing. "Even when you got big, you liked splashing."

"I know someone else like that," Jack commented, ruffling his brother's hair, eliciting another giggle.

"Splashing's fun," Daniel agreed happily. He giggled his way through the next few pages, relating stories that his mother had told him. Then he came upon a photo of Jack at the age of five. "You look like me!" he exclaimed.

"So I do," Jack agreed, noting the similarities between himself and Daniel at that age. Daniel's hair was slightly darker but it was about the same length now as Jack's had been. It showed that their mother's genes had been passed down to both of them.

"Did you get into lots of trouble when you were little?" Daniel wanted to know, curious to know what Jack had been like.

"Heaps," Jack admitted with a grin. "I used to like climbing trees so I was always getting holes in my clothes and Mom had to sew them up again."

"I haven't climbed a tree 'cos there aren't lots of climbing trees in Egypt," Daniel stated. "Do you still climb trees?"

"Uh, not for a few years," Jack said with a chuckle. He had grown out of climbing trees when he was in his teens. It was something that he would have to give Daniel the opportunity to try though - so long as the little boy only did it when Jack was around to supervise.

They turned another page. Several of the photos were of a young Jack fishing with his father. "Mommy says that your Daddy used to take you fishing," Daniel commented. "Does your Daddy still do that?" he asked curiously.

"No, he doesn't," Jack replied shortly. He hadn't been fishing in a long time, especially not up at the cabin where John used to take him. He hadn't been to that place since he was twelve. "But sometimes I go fishing on my own."

Daniel nodded knowledgeably. "My Daddy took me fishing once and we had to travel a loooong way to get there, and I caught a fish but it was only little so I put it back so it could go back to its Mommy and Daddy."

"That was a very nice thing to do," Jack praised, giving Daniel a little squeeze around the waist. "Did you know that Grandpa Tom owns a cabin in Minnesota that has its very own pond?"

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Can we go there, Jack, pleeeease?" He thought it would be great fun, just him and Jack and maybe Grandpa Tom too.

"When it gets warmer," Jack promised, thinking that it was about time he exorcised the bad memories of the place. Most of the time it had been good up at the cabin but a few times towards the end, John's problems had followed him and Jack had suffered because of it.

"Yeah!" Daniel bounced a little on Jack's lap, almost dislodging the photo album.

"Hey, careful there!" Jack caught the album before it fell off.

Daniel stopped immediately. "Sorry." He snuggled back against Jack and sat quietly for a little while as the pair of them looked through some more of the album. After a few minutes though, he forgot he was supposed to be still and started chatting again, sometimes gesturing with his hands to illustrate a point.

When the doorbell rang at five o'clock, Jack couldn't believe that the hour had passed so quickly. He lifted Daniel off his lap and sat him down again on the couch, then went to answer the door. "Mr. Hassein."

"Captain O'Neill," the Egyptian man said in greeting. "I hope I am not early."

"No, no, you're right on time." Jack felt a little disappointed that the sharing time with Daniel was over for the day; he had enjoyed listening to the kid and reminiscing about the past. "Come on in."

"Uncle Mehet!" When Daniel saw the manager, he ran over to him and hugged his hips as the Egyptian was shorter than Jack. "Thank you for bringing the pictures! Do you want to see my room? I got a whole room to myself!" Daniel stood back and bounced eagerly. When he was in Egypt, he'd only had a small section of the tent to himself so naturally, he was proud of his 'big' room.

Mehet looked at Jack for permission.

"Go ahead," Jack said. "I have to get dinner ready anyway." It was a little early to start but since he was doing desert as well - brownies - he probably should get started.

Daniel grabbed Mehet's hand. "Come on, I'll show you." He pulled Mehet down the passageway and into his bedroom. "Jacks says we're going to buy some things on Saturday so there's more colours, and I'm going to get a table and chairs, and we're going to look at paints so we can make the room prettier!" he shared enthusiastically.

"That is very good," Mehet commented, looking around. He thought that the room looked reasonable except, of course, for the lack of colours. It was an extravagent waste of space though, what with things like the extra bed - much like many American houses.

"Jack drawed the pictures for me," Daniel continued, pointing to the angel drawings on the wall beside his bed, "and he got me a hippo at the zoo, see?" He held up Tawaret for inspection. "And Grandma Iris gave me Khufu, and I made this at day-care." Daniel pointed to the clay sphinx that was sitting on top of his bookshelf.

_Jack is spoiling you_, Mehet thought. Daniel, like the others on the dig, had lived simply and now he had come to a decadent society where he would be changed into a spoilt child. He crouched down in front of the little boy and said, "And I hope you are grateful for all these things. Remember, many children in Egypt are not as lucky to have so much."

Daniel nodded solemnly. "Should I give them back?" He didn't want to but if it was the right thing to do, he would; he didn't want to be greedy.

"No. Just remember that you do not need lots of things to enjoy life," Mehet answered.

"Okay," Daniel agreed, then he was quickly onto the next subject. "Do you want me to draw you a picture? I've drawed lots of pictures and Jack puts them on the fridge 'cos that's the special place for them."

"That would be very nice, Danyel," Mehet accepted the offer.

Daniel got all his drawing equipment and led Mehet to the kitchen to show off his other drawings. When Daniel had finished explaining everything, Mehet praised him, causing the little boy to bounce with pride.

Jack couldn't help smiling at Daniel's enthusiasm. He noted the drawing pad and crayons, and said, "Danny, how about you take Mr. Hassein into the living room while you draw?"

"Okay." Daniel went to leave then stopped and turned around. "What are you making?"

"Brownies," Jack replied, pouring the mixture into a baking tin.

"What are brownies?" Daniel asked curiously, standing on his tiptoes so that he could try and see into the tin.

"Kind of like a chocolate cake only smaller and square," Jack went for the easy explanation.

Daniel grinned; that sounded yummy! "Can I have some?"

"After dinner." Jack put the baking tin in the oven and then turned his attention to the vegetables.

"Can I set the table?" Daniel asked next, tugging on Jack's sweats to get his attention.

Jack looked down and ruffled Daniel's hair, an action that was becoming more frequent. "Maybe later. Right now, Mr. Hassein has come all this way to talk to you, so you should do that first."

"Okay. Uncle Mehet, come on!" Daniel said, grabbing the Egyptian man's hand and pulling him into the living room. There, he set out his pad and crayons on the table, and started drawing a picture. While he was drawing, he told Mehet all about what had happened in the last couple of weeks, barely stopping for breath. He missed seeing some of Mehet's expressions in various places, such as the jacuzzi and the super-dooper chocolate milkshake, as his gaze was focused on the piece of paper in front of him.

Just before dinner time, Daniel finished his drawing and held it up proudly to show Mehet. "Do you like it? This is me and Jack and our house, and this is a pyramid and that's you at the dig, and that's mommy and daddy 'cos they're angels now."

"It is an excellent drawing, young Danyel," Mehet replied, affected by the innocent way Daniel talked about his late parents. "I shall treasure it forever." He accepted the drawing with great solemnity.

"And you can put it up on the wall when you get home 'cos you don't have a fridge like Jack does, but that's okay because I know that's the special place for pictures in Egypt," Daniel continued. Then he sniffed the air and yelled, "Dinner time!" With that, he was up and out of the living room like a flash.

Mehet followed more sedately. Soon, dinner was served, and everyone ate while carrying on a series of questions and answers, mainly between Jack and Mehet; Daniel was content to deliver monologues on everything he could.

After dinner, everyone adjourned into the living room again for more conversations. But it wasn't long before Daniel asked, "When am I having a bath, Jack?"

"Well, I was thinking that since you didn't get too dirty today, we could probably not have the bath tonight while we've got company," Jack replied, giving Daniel a squeeze. The little boy was snuggled up to his side, which Jack was quite proud about; the petty part of his subconscious told him that Daniel liked him better than Mehet. "We'll just give your face and hands an extra scrub with the face washer, okay?"

"Yep!" Daniel figured that if he didn't get a bath, he could stay up later. "Can we look at more pictures?"

"Sure," Jack agreed. "You pick one."

Daniel delved into the box of albums and picked one of his favourites which was, of course, about him. "This one." He scrambled up beside Jack on the couch and then patted the cushion behind him. "Come sit here, Uncle Mehet, so you can see," he invited the man.

Mehet did so and Daniel was happily sandwiched between the two adults. He opened the album across his knees. "That's me!" he pointed out unnecessarily when he saw the photo of him crawling out of a large urn.

"I remember that," Mehet stated. "You were always getting away from the ones who were supposed to watch you, and your curiosity was insatiable."

"What's insash-- what does that mean?" Daniel wanted to know.

"In this case, it means that you want to know everything," Jack told him with a grin.

Daniel considered that solemnly for a moment and then decided that was probably true. "How do you say it?"

"In-sati-able," Jack sounded it out for his little brother.

"In-sati-able," Daniel copied and then looked up at Jack to make sure he had got it right. When Jack nodded, Daniel beamed; he liked learning new words. "What else does it mean?"

"That you want lots and lots of something," Mehet answered, thinking that the word suited Daniel in terms of knowledge.

Daniel gave that some thought. "Like ice-cream?" He always wanted lots of ice-cream at dinner.

"Like ice-cream," Jack agreed.

Daniel pouted as that reminded him of something that he hadn't noticed in his excitement. "We didn't have ice-cream for dinner tonight."

"That's because we had brownies instead," Jack replied. He had been relieved when Daniel hadn't kicked up a fuss about the change of desert. "And you liked those, didn't you?"

"Yep!" They had been so delicious! "Can I have another one please?"

"Not tonight," Jack refused in a way that he hoped Daniel wouldn't argue with. "But we might have some more tomorrow."

Daniel decided that was okay and went back to looking at the photos. There were many of him crawling or walking around various dig sites, sometimes with his parents, sometimes by himself. Some Jack had seen before in Daniel's special album in his room, while most were new. He loved viewing the pictures of Daniel growing up and seeing how loved the little boy had been.

It was nearly eight o'clock when Jack noticed the time. "Come on, kiddo," Jack said, picking Daniel up and settling him on one hip. "Bedtime."

"But I'm not sleepy," Daniel protested, putting his arms around Jack's neck anyway.

"I know that but by the time you get ready for bed and read a story, it will be sleeptime," Jack stated, not wanting a grumpy Daniel on his hands tomorrow. "So say goodnight to Mr. Hassein."

"Actually," Mehet said before Daniel could say anything, "could I read the story to Danyel?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Daniel agreed eagerly before Jack could, bouncing in his brother's arms. "Can you please tell me the one about Ra?"

Mehet looked at Jack, who nodded slightly, giving his permission. Then Mehet turned his gaze back to the young boy who blue eyes were shining with delight. "I shall."

"Yay!" Daniel wriggled in Jack's arms, wanting to get down. "Jack, we have to hurry!" When his big brother put him down, Daniel raced off to the bathroom so that he could brush his teeth immediately.

Jack followed more slowly, a little resentful that Daniel was so eager to have Mehet tell him a story. Only the night before, Daniel had been so delighted when Jack had read out the story of the Minotaur complete with voices, and Jack's heart had swelled with the obvious enjoyment. Now, he had been superseded by someone whom Daniel had known in Egypt. He knew he shouldn't be jealous but he couldn't help it; he _liked_ being the one Daniel turned to and loved the most.

He tried to linger over helping Daniel get ready for bed but the little boy wanted to hear the story and therefore was trying to hurry. Eventually, Daniel was ready and Jack tucked him into bed before going over to sit on the double bed so that Mehet could tell his story.

Reluctantly, as he listened, Jack had to admit that Mehet could tell a good story. The older man had the voices down pat, and Daniel was paying rapt attention, his eyes lit up with joy. But finally the story was over, and Daniel pouted when Mehet said that it was time for sleep. "But I want another one," Daniel whined.

"Another time," Mehet promised. "But for now, you must sleep." He brushed his hand over Daniel's forehead just above the eyes several times, employing an old family trick to help convince the child that sleep was a good idea.

Daniel's eyes fluttered and then started to close. "Okay. Goodnight, Uncle Mehet."

"Goodnight, young Danyel." He had missed the boy and wished he could stay another day or two but the dig would not run itself. The past week he had been trying to find another archaeologist or two who would be interested in it but so far was not having much luck. He would hate for all the Jacksons' work to go to waste.

"Jack, check for monsters," Daniel said sleepily.

A soft smile on his face, Jack came over and kissed his brother's forehead. "I checked for monsters before and there's none here."

"Good." Daniel's eyes closed completely, trusting his brother's word. "Love you, Jack," he said as he drifted off to sleep.

"Love you too, kiddo," Jack replied. He lingered for a moment and then turned the overhead light off. He looked towards Mehet and gestured towards the living room.

Mehet nodded and led the way back to the living room; he had a couple of things he wanted to discuss with Jack. He had observed the man's interaction with young Daniel and concluded that Jack was doing a pretty job so far, and the little boy clearly loved him. However, there were a few points he wanted to discuss with him. When they were both sitting down again, Mehet started in with, "Do you intend to continue spoiling Danyel?"

"Excuse me?" Jack hadn't expected that criticism.

"He does not require many objects--" Mehet continued.

"He doesn't _have_ many objects," Jack pointed out. "He has, what - three stuffed toys, some crayons and paper, some clothes, books and a few artifacts? How on earth is that spoiling him?"

"It is not how many he has now - it is how many he will have," Mehet argued calmly. "You will no doubt provide him with more."

Jack raised his eyebrows; he couldn't believe this guy! "Of course he's going to get more over the course of his lifetime," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Even if he had stayed in Egypt, he would have gotten more things. But just because I've provided him with a few things does _not_ mean I'm spoiling him!"

"He does not require much," Mehet ignored the outburst.

"Are you seriously telling me I shouldn't buy Daniel _anything_?" Jack inquired incredulously. "Because I have to tell you, that's going to be a serious problem when he outgrows his clothes."

"There is a difference between essential and nonessential items. The most important thing is that he knows he is loved."

"Which he does," Jack stated firmly, resenting Mehet's implication. "A few toys isn't going to turn him into a selfish brat, you know."

Mehet nodded again in agreement. Jack's arguments were an indication that he wasn't going to spoil the boy. "Danyel's portion of the inheritance has been set up in a trust fund for his education. It cannot be accessed until he is sixteen." He withdrew an envelope from his jacket's inside pocket and handed it over to Jack. "You have also been left money so that you may better look after Danyel."

Jack opened the envelope and his eyes widened; his mother and Melburn had been richer than he had expected. Certainly, it wasn't a huge portion of money but it would definitely ease any financial worries for a while. "Thank you. I... don't know what to say."

"Just take the best care you can of Danyel," Mehet replied, heading towards the front door. "He is a very intelligent boy and will do great things one day." He could feel it in his bones; there was something special about Daniel.

"I promise," Jack stated. He didn't know how he was going to do it but he was going to do his best.

"And find yourself a wife," Mehet said as he stood in the doorway. "Danyel needs a mother to look after him as well." With those parting words of wisdom, Mehet walked down the front steps and away from the house.

Jack closed the door and headed back into the living room. That had been a strange conversation but now that he wasn't feeling so resentful, Jack could see that Mehet was only concerned for Daniel. Given the materialism of Western society, Jack could also see the man's viewpoint on Daniel possibly becoming spoilt. However, he didn't like being told to get married; he would only do that when he was good and ready, not because Daniel needed a mother-figure in his life.

He switched on the television and tried to get the word 'wife' out of his head.


	26. Bits and Pieces

Sorry this part is so short – with illness and writer's block, it hasn't been easy to get this finished. I promise to try and make the next part longer g.  
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Part 26 - Bits and Pieces

Friday 5th December

Jack didn't know what had pulled him out of a deep sleep until he heard the cry, "Mommy!" Realising that Daniel was having a bad dream at - he checked the clock - just after midnight, Jack quickly got out of bed, put his slippers and a robe on, and headed into Daniel's room. He could hear the little boy's sobs before he entered and knew that Daniel was awake. "Hey, kiddo," Jack said softly as he sat on the bed.

"Jack!" Daniel launched himself into his big brother's arms, wanting him to make everything alright. "I-gulp-I miss Mommy and Daddy!" He had been fine while looking at the photos but his dreams had been scary because his parents had disappeared.

"I know you do," Jack soothed, rubbing Daniel's back while trying to work out what to say.

"I want them to-to come home!" Much as he liked living with Jack, he wanted his parents to come back and to hug him and kiss him and play with him.

"I know, I know." Jack felt so inadequate as he held the little boy. He didn't know what to say to make Daniel feel better.

"I don't want them to be angels any more," Daniel sobbed, burying his face in Jack's shoulder.

Jack felt a twinge of hurt at that; didn't Daniel want to stay with him anymore? He thought they had been getting along well.

"They could come back and we could all go to Egypt together and play in the sand and ex-ki-vate," Daniel continued, thinking that was a reasonable solution.

"That would be nice," Jack stated, not wanting to upset Daniel by saying he wouldn't go Egypt with them. "But Danny, once people are angels, they can't come back," he continued gently.

Daniel pouted gently. "That's mean," he complained.

"Yeah, it is, but it's the rules." Jack didn't have any other explanation to give his little brother.

"Don't like rules," Daniel muttered mutinously, his sobs having faded to sniffs.

Jack patted Daniel's back, pleased that the crying had stopped, and continued to rock him for a couple of minutes. When he finally looked down at Daniel, he found that the kid had fallen asleep. Gently, he lay Daniel down and tucked him into bed again, making sure that Thoth was enfolded by one small arm. Then he went back to his own bed and stared up at the ceiling for a long time, thinking about how much Daniel had become part of his life, and the unfairness of fate.

Daniel was his usual bouncy self the next morning, in contrast to Jack who was feeling the effects of too little sleep. Still, Jack made an effort to be cheerful for Daniel until he dropped the little boy off at day-care. Then he allowed the mask to slip until he arrived at work, where he put on his military persona and became Captain O'Neill for the next eight hours.

He was on his way down to the shooting range before lunch when he heard a voice behind him.

"Captain?"

Jack turned around to see Janet Fraiser walking towards him. "Yes, Doc?"

"Are you doing anything with Daniel tomorrow?" she inquired, coming to a halt a couple of feet away.

He didn't think it was any of her business but... "Yeah, I am actually. Why?" He hoped she wasn't going to say that he should be doing this or that with Daniel; he was still resenting Mehet's comments from last night.

"Cassie would like Daniel to come over and play for a few hours." She smiled to herself; her daughter was certainly smitten with the little boy and Janet couldn't wait to meet him. "Is there any particular time that would suit you?"

"Uh..." Jack did some calculations; how long would it take him to go shopping in the morning? And would Daniel need a nap before he went? What about dinner, could they have it later?

"A good time would be about fourteen hundred to sixteen-thirty," Janet said, remembering that Jack was new to all this. "Or would you like to make it earlier?"

"No, fourteen hundred is good." That would give them plenty of time for shopping, then lunch, and then maybe a short nap or rest before heading over to Janet's. "Do I need to send him with anything?"

"Whatever he wants to bring," Janet replied. "Cassie's got plenty of things to play with but he might not be interested in playing with dolls." Her eyes twinkled knowingly.

"Oh, he's definitely not into dolls," Jack stated, remembering back to Thanksgiving.

Janet nodded and then held out a piece of paper. "This is my address and instructions on how to get there, if you need them. I'll expect you and Daniel about fourteen hundred."

"Uh, wait!" Jack said before Janet could leave. "Do I have to, uh, stay with him?"

"No, you can relax for a couple of hours, go do something you don't have time to do with Daniel around," Janet stated. "I know how hectic it can be being a single parent. Speaking of which, do you know whether Daniel has had his needles?"

"Come again?" Jack was confused by the change of subject.

"His immunisations against childhood diseases," Janet elaborated. "Do you know whether he's had them?"

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't have a clue, Doc." He supposed the information would be somewhere but he hadn't found it yet. "But I'll look into it."

Janet nodded in approval. "That would be a good idea. If he hasn't had them, he will susceptible to illness, especially coming into flu season. I'll give you the name of my paediatrician tomorrow, just in case." The last thing anyone wanted was for Daniel to fall sick so soon after arriving in Colorado Springs.

"Thanks." Jack really hadn't thought about needing a doctor for Daniel and appreciated Janet helping out with that. There were still so many things he needed to think about in regards to his little brother. He headed off to the shooting range, deep in thought about whether there was anything else he should know about.

"Jack!" Daniel ran over to his brother and hugged his leg when the latter arrived at day-care. "Cassie said her mommy was going to ask you if I can play with her tomorrow at her house! Did she ask? Can I go? Can I? Can I?"

Talk about energy! Feeling tired in comparison after several hours of physical training, Jack crouched down in front of Daniel and replied, "Yes, she asked and yes, you can go."

"Yeah!" Daniel jumped up and down, excited at the prospect even though he didn't know all the details. "I'm going to tell Cassie!" He raced off to find his friend, who was at the other end of the room.

Jack watched the two little kids bounce up and down with excitement, and couldn't resist grinning at the sight. It would be Daniel's first play-date, a momentous occasion in any young child's life.

On the way home, Daniel couldn't stop talking about his upcoming adventure. "Cassie's got a sandpit so we're going to ex-ki-vate arty-facts, and she has a dog and a fish, and she has lots of dolls but we're not going to play with them, and she has a teddy called Bob and he and Thoth are going to play together," was a small portion of his monologue on that topic. When he ran out of things on that topic, he swapped to what he had done at day-care. He didn't stop talking even when they got home and went inside, except to swap to the topic of the boxes in the garage and could he look through them now?

Jack wasn't so sure that was a good idea. "I don't know," he said to Daniel as he got the kid a glass of milk. "Sit up here," he ordered, gesturing to the kitchen chair.

Daniel obeyed, eagerly drinking the milk even though it wasn't flavoured. "Why don't you know?" he asked in between mouthfuls.

"Because last night you had a bad dream afterwards," Jack pointed out, sitting down at the table as well. He didn't want to go through the nightmares again tonight.

"But I won't tonight, I promise," Daniel said in the hopes that Jack wouldn't prevent him from looking at his parents' things.

Jack gave a half-smile at that. "We can't control bad dreams, Danny. You might not mean to but your brain might have other ideas." But he knew that he couldn't prevent his brother from looking through everything eventually. "How about we look through some tomorrow morning before we go shopping?"

"For my table and chairs?" Daniel queried enthusiastically.

"For your table and chairs," Jack confirmed. And he was planning on getting some sort of large box or chest for Daniel's to store some of his parents' things in but that was going to be a surprise. He would have to shift the double bed from Daniel's room out to the garage to make space but that would be okay because some of the stuff from the boxes would then come inside.  
"Are we going to the toy store? Can we get the pyramid jigsaw?" Daniel asked before he remembered Mehet's words about being greedy. His face fell; he shouldn't ask Jack for more things.

Jack noticed the change of expression. "Hey, what's wrong?" He reached over to ruffle Daniel's hair.

"Am I being greedy?" the little boy wanted to know, his face displaying his anxiety at this.

"Course not," Jack assured him. "If you wanted heaps of things, you would be but this is only one thing. Who told you that you were greedy?" he questioned, wanting to know who had put that idea in his brother's impressionable brain.

"Uncle Mehet said that I don't need lots of things to be happy," Daniel parroted, swinging his legs anxiously, "which means I shouldn't be greedy"  
Jack felt some of his frustration at Mehet come back; how dare the guy tell a four-year-old child, especially one who didn't have lots of things, something like that! "You're not greedy, Daniel. And yes, maybe you don't need lots of things but you're allowed to have some things, so don't ever feel guilty about asking for stuff. Sometimes I might have to say 'no' but it won't be because of you."

Daniel nodded solemnly as he absorbed that. "So does that mean I can have the jigsaw?" he wanted to know.

A smile twitched at Jack's lips; the little boy was certainly persistent. "Tell you what - we'll get a 100-piece one this time and we'll see how you go with that first, okay?"

Daniel thought briefly about pouting - he really wanted the pyramid jigsaw - but decided against it so then Jack wouldn't change his mind about the smaller one. "Okay," he agreed; he hoped there would be one with a nice picture on it.

Jack gave Daniel an early bath followed by an early dinner so that he would have plenty of time to get ready for his second date with Sara. They were going to a Japanese restaurant tonight and Jack was slightly apprehensive; he didn't know much about Japanese food but didn't want to tell his date that. Other than that, he was looking forward to spending more time in Sara's company.

He settled Daniel, who was wearing his fluffy pyjamas and robe, onto his lap and read him a story in lieu of one later. He breathed in the freshly washed smell of the little boy's hair, felt the little body warm against his, and was content with the scene of domesticity... although he didn't consciously think that. All he would admit to himself was that this was nice.

After the story was finished, Daniel asked, "Do you have to go?" He didn't want Jack to leave him again.

"I think Sara would be disappointed if I didn't," Jack replied.

"Why?"

Jack ignored the question, mainly because he couldn't think of an answer to it. "And I'll be disappointed because I liked spending time with her last week and I want to do it again."

Daniel pouted. "Don't you want to spent time with me?" He rested his head back against Jack's chest.

Oy, a guilt trip! "Yes, I want to spend time with you, and that's what we've been doing tonight," Jack replied, giving Daniel's waist a squeeze. "Tomorrow we'll be going shopping, and on Sunday we'll have all day to play together. Me going out on a date has nothing to do with not wanting to spend time with you, I promise."

"Will Lou give me another super-dooper chocolate milkshake?"

"Most likely."

Daniel considered that and decided that Jack could go out on the date. However, there were a couple of rules. "Okay, but you have to come home before I go to sleep. And you have to tuck me into bed."

"I'll do my best," Jack said, pleased that Daniel seemed to be okay with the date today. "But if I'm not home by the time Lou puts you to bed, you be a good boy and go to sleep, okay, and I'll wake you when I get home."

"Promise?"

"You betcha."

Daniel smiled contentedly; that would be nice. And he would get Lou to read him a story too, and make the special milkshake, and play 'Snap' and 'Snakes and Ladders', and then when Jack came home, he would maybe get another story. He nodded to himself; he would definitely like that. He tilted his head head backwards and then started giggling. "I can see up your nose!" he exclaimed.

"And on that note, I think I'd better go and get ready," Jack said, putting Daniel beside him on the couch and then standing up.

"I'm going to help!" Daniel scrambled off the couch and followed Jack into the bathroom. "What are you going to do?"

"Shave." Jack put Daniel on the bench beside the basin, resigned to the the fact he wasn't going to get any privacy with the little boy around.

"Why?"

"Because I want to look nice for Sara," Jack replied as he spread the shaving cream over his cheeks, chin and neck.

"Why?"

"Because that's what people do when they go on dates, they make themselves look nice."

Daniel watched Jack shave for a minute and then asked curiously, "Will Sara shave too?"

"Women do other stuff, like put on make-up," Jack stated.

"What's make-up?"

"Something that women put on their face to make them look pretty." Daniel certainly is curious tonight, Jack mused.

"The Ancient Egyptians used to paint their faces with kohl," Daniel informed his big brother. "Is it like that?"

"Pretty much."

Daniel was silent for a few seconds as he absorbed the new information, then queried, "Do I have to shave 'fore I go to Cassie's?"

A quick grin crossed Jack's face at that question. "Not unless you've started growing a bear." He washed out his razor and then patted his face dry. "So, you gonna come help me decide what to wear?"

"Yep!" Daniel swung his legs enthusiastically.

Jack grinned as he put Daniel on the floor; this was going to be interesting!


	27. The Second Date aka Fun All Round

Yeah, I got this finished quicker than the last one! I hope everyone enjoys Jack and Sara's second date as much as they do g .

Thank you also for all the feedback so far – it's every encouraging to read, especially when I have writer's block!

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**Part 27 - The Second Date (aka Fun All Round)**

Daniel ran into the bedroom and flung open the wardrobe doors. He scanned the clothes and then grabbed the sleeve of one shirt. "This one, Jack!"

Looking at the checked shirt he wore only when doing yard work, Jack shook his head; Daniel had no idea of what was suitable to wear. "Not for a date, Danny. Pick something else."

"Why? I like it," Daniel informed his big brother.

"I can see that but this is a shirt that I wear at home in the garden." _Where no-one can see me wearing it_, Jack added silently.

Daniel frowned as he tried to understand the difference between 'home' clothes and 'date' clothes, and then decided it must be a grown-up thing. His mommy had been like that too but Daniel wasn't fussed about what he wore; everything would get dirty anyway. He looked through the shirts again and found a plain blue one. Since blue was his favourite colour, he decided that he liked the shirt even if it was plain. "This one?"

Jack mentally sighed with relief; that was one of the shirts that he usually wore on dates. "Yep, that one will do fine." He got it out of the wardrobe, choosing a pair of cream-coloured trousers and his black leather jacket at the same time to avoid more 'fashion advice'.

"Oooh," Daniel said, spying the jacket. When Jack put it on the bed, the little boy went over and ran his hands over it. "It feels funny," he commented. His daddy's brown leather jacket had been very old and smooth. "Can I try it on?"

"For a couple of minutes," Jack agreed, crouching down in front of his little brother and helping Daniel put the over-sized jacket on. It almost touched the floor and Jack couldn't help grinning at the sight. "What do you think?"

"It's big." Daniel couldn't see his hands any more. He flapped his arms up and down, amused by the floppy leather. "Will it make me fly?"

"I don't know. Let's see. Try flapping your arms again," Jack instructed. When Daniel obeyed, Jack picked him up and 'flew' him around the room.

Daniel giggled, thrilled at being able to fly. He kept flapping his arms, a part of him thinking that it was actually helping to keep him in the air. "Look, Jack, I'm a bird!" he called out between giggles.

"So you are." Jack gave Daniel one more 'fly' around the room and then put him down.

"Jaaack!" Daniel protested, wanting to fly some more. He flapped his arms up and down but nothing happened. "Help me fly!"

"Later," Jack promised, "but I have to get changed now. So if you wait quietly, then you'll be able to do some more flying afterwards."

"Okay." Daniel zipped his mouth and then crawled up onto the bed. He watched Jack getting changed quietly for a minute and then asked, "Am I doing good?"

"Very good. Just another minute," Jack replied, tucking his shirt in and zipping his trousers up. Then he retrieved the jacket from his little brother and put it on. "Okay, you can talk now."

Daniel shifted onto his knees so that he could do little bounces on the bed. "Can I fly again now? How will I fly without that?" he questioned, pointing to the jacket.

"All you have to do is flap your arms," Jack stated, picking Daniel up around the waist. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Daniel started flapping his arms and 'flew' with Jack into the living room. "Zrooom! I'm an airplane! I'm bringing lots of people from Egypt to other places."

"Danny, an airplane's wings don't move," Jack corrected the kid with a grin.

"Oops!" Daniel giggled and stuck his arms straight out. "Coming in for a landing, Captain!"

"Landing wheels down," Jack instructed as he gently put Daniel down on the couch, the little body softening the landing with his outstretched hands.

Daniel immediately rolled over onto his back, his robe getting caught up under his body. "Can I have a shirt to wear at home like yours?" He had really liked the squares and stripes on it. "Pleeease?"

"If we can find one," Jack agreed, thinking that there was little chance of that; after all, who in their right mind would make checked shirts for kids?

Jack was spared from more requests by the doorbell. As he started to head to the door, Daniel ran over, arms held out in a 'pick me up' gesture, and so Jack obeyed, lifting the little boy into his arms. Then he proceeded to open the door for Lou.

"Hey, Jack. Hey, Daniel," Lou said as he entered the house, his backpack full of things to do. "Wow, that's a great robe," he commented when he saw the green dressing-gown covered in cartoon dogs.

"Jack got it for me," Daniel said proudly, holding out one arm so that Lou could get a better look. "And he's going to get me a shirt with squares and stripes on it too that I can wear at home and it can get dirty but I can't wear it on dates."

Lou raised both eyebrows at Jack. "What on earth have you been teaching him?" he queried.

"Lots!" Daniel answered for his big brother. "I helped Jack get dressed because he has to look nice for Sara, and he shaved and everything."

"Oh, he shaved, did he?" Lou said in amusement, grinning at Jack.

"Yes, he did," Jack commented in a tone that told Lou to 'drop it'. Turning his head towards Daniel, he said, "Now, remember that when Lou puts you to bed, you be good and _stay_ there, okay? I will come in when I get home and say goodnight to you."

"Okay, Jack," Daniel nodded in agreement, wanting to be good. Then he threw his arms around Jack's neck and held on tightly, burying his face against the skin that smelled so nice, not quite like his daddy but similar.

Jack rubbed Daniel's back gently, having some idea of why the little boy was hugging him. "Hey, kiddo, I'm coming back. We're going shopping for your bedroom tomorrow, remember?"

"Uh-huh," Daniel said, nodding against Jack's neck. He breathed in the nice smell for another few seconds, then loosened his hold and leaned back a little. "Miss you."

"I know. And I'll miss you too. But you're going to have fun with Lou just like you did last time," Jack stated, sensing that the crisis was over. He nodded to Lou, who stepped forward and took Daniel into his arms.

"That's right," Lou said. "We're going to have another Super-dooper chocolate milkshake, and act out a story, and I've also got a fun surprise for you."

Daniel perked up a bit at the mention of the milkshake, and then even more at the idea of a surprise. "What is it?"

"Well, if I told you that now, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Lou teased.

"That certainly sounds like fun," Jack commented as he gathered up his wallet and keys. Before he opened the front door to leave, he ruffled Daniel's hair. "I'll see you later. Sleep tight."

"Jack!" Daniel called as his big brother went to leave. When Jack turned to face him, Daniel continued, a big smile on his face, "I hope you like your date with Sara."

Sporting a huge grin, Jack replied, "So do I, Danny." He winked at the kid, eliciting a little giggle, and then left, closing the door behind him.

"Alright, let's have the milkshake now, then we'll do the surprise," Lou decided, carrying the boy into the kitchen and sitting him on one of the chairs.

"Yay!" Daniel watched eagerly as Lou made the special milkshake; when he was bigger and could go back to Egypt, he was going to teach everyone how to make it so they could all have some of it. When Lou put the glass in front of him, filled with lots of yummy chocolate and milk, Daniel didn't waste any time in starting to drink from it. After two mouthfuls, he decided it was so delicious that he needed to slow down so he could taste it all.

Lou surreptitiously watched the little boy drink slowly and smiled to himself. Daniel was an adorable child, obviously brought up to appreciate the simple things in life rather than just wanting to watch TV or play computer games. When he babysat his nieces and nephews, all except for the very youngest of them tended to do the latter rather than play physical games like chasey, so he was pleased to look after someone who was different.

After a few minutes, Daniel finished his milkshake and a small pout appeared on his face at the fact that it was all gone. But he remembered from last time that only one was allowed per visit so he didn't complain. Instead, he launched into a recital about what had happened during the week, including his ouchies, making 'cat-pillars' at day-care, his Uncle Mehet's visit, and the forthcoming play-date with Cassie.

"Wow. That sounds like you've had a very busy week," Lou commented, tidying up the kitchen.

"Yep! Do you go on dates like Jack?" Daniel asked, changing the subject abruptly as he leaned forward and stared at Lou.

Initially stunned by the question, Lou replied, "Yes, I go on dates sometimes."

"Do you like girls?"

"Yes, I like women," Lou said slowly, wondering where all this was going. "Do you like girls?"

"Only if no kissing. Kissing is yuck!" Daniel exclaimed as he climbed down from the chair.

Lou couldn't help but grin at that statement. In not too many years time, Daniel would change his tune about kissing. "What about when your mom or dad kissed you? Was that yucky too?"

Daniel shook his head emphatically. "That's diff-rent. But I seen Mommy and Daddy kissing sometimes and that was yucky 'cos it looked funny but Mommy said that's just how grown-ups kiss. Yucky," he added in a confidential whisper. Then he changed the subject again. "Is it time for the surprise? Can we have it in here?"

Lou put aside his amusement at Daniel's little speech about kisses and said, "I think it would be better in the living room. How about you go in there and sit down while I get everything ready?"

"Okay." Daniel ran into the living room and sat on the couch, his legs banging against the material as he swung them impatiently. He watched Lou put something what Jack called a 'CD player'. "What are you doing?" he inquired.

"Getting organised." Lou pressed 'pause' on the CD player and then went over to stand in front of the couch. "Hop down. I'm going to teach you how to do the Chicken Dance."

Daniel's face screwed up in an expression of confusion as he slid off the couch. "Chickens don't dance."

"True, but it's called the Chicken Dance because we're going to act like a chicken," Lou explained. "Can you make a beak with your hand?" He demonstrated by making his fingers meet his thumbs so that it looked like a beak.

Daniel concentrated hard and made his fingers copy Lou's.

"Okay, now make them 'cluck' four times like this." Lou moved his fingers up and down while Daniel again copied. "Excellent. That's the first part of the dance. Now tuck your hands under your armpits and flap them like a bird four times."

"I flied like a bird before," Daniel informed his big friend while copying his actions. "Jack helped me and I flied all around the bedroom and into here."

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Lou commented. "Now wiggle your hips four times," he instructed.

Daniel obeyed, sticking his bottom out and making jerking movements with his hips in an imitation of Lou's. "Like this?"

"Exactly. And last thing - clap your hands four times."

"Why do I have to do everything four times?" Daniel wanted to know as he clapped his hands.

"Because it fits into the music better," Lou stated. "Now, let's do the whole thing. Ready? Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, flap, flap, flap, flap, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, clap, clap, clap, clap," he listed, doing the actions at the same time while Daniel imitated him.

"This is silly," Daniel giggled as he tried to wiggle his hips.

"It's supposed to be silly," Lou said as he went over to the CD player. "Alright, let's try it to music." He pressed the 'play' button and the music started up, then he went back over to Daniel, ready to dance.

Daniel found that he liked the music and bounced on his toes a few times before starting to follow Lou's lead. He danced enthusiastically - so enthusiastically, in fact, that he didn't hear the music slow down at one point and Lou had to hold him still to get him to listen. Then, when the music sped up again, Daniel frantically did all the movements, quite often not in the right places. But he had a lot of fun and when the song ended, he begged Lou to play it again. And so the Chicken Dance was danced a second time, something Lou didn't mind doing because he knew it would help wear Daniel out and get him ready for sleep.

When the song finished for the second time, Lou turned the CD player off despite Daniel's protests. "Next time," he promised the little boy as he came back to sit on the couch. "How about a game of 'Snap'?"

"Yay!" Daniel forgot all about protesting about the dancing and climbed onto the couch. This was so much fun!

This time, Sara was running a little late so Jack was able to get out of the car and go to the front door of her apartment. He rang the doorbell and waited for a few seconds until she opened it, a smile on her face. "Hi," he said, momentarily losing the power of speech as he saw how stunning she looked.

"Hi. Sorry I'm running late but Mom rang earlier and wouldn't stop talking," Sara explained, stepping aside to let Jack in. "Come inside for a minute, I won't be long."

"Thanks." Trying to regain some equilibrium, Jack went into the living room, which smaller than his but that simply may have been because it was crowded with so many things. Lots of knick-knacks lined the bookshelves and any available bench space, and there was a stack of magazines on the coffee table. There was a couch and one chair facing the television, and a colourful rug on the floor that reminded Jack of Daniel's rug from Egypt. "Nice place," he called out to Sara, who was in the bedroom nearby.

"Thanks," she called back, putting the final touches on her make-up. When she was done, she went back out into the living room. "What happened to you?" she asked, noticing the fading bruise on his cheek.

"What? Oh, that." Jack had hoped she wouldn't notice that. "Just a slight mishap at work," he stated, proud of himself for saying more than two words in a row. It was basically the truth; if he had moved quicker, then Makepeace's fist wouldn't have connected with his face.

"Right." Sara didn't say anything further but turned her face away and smirked; men had a hard time talking about their fights unless they were boasting about them. "Shall we go?"

"Sure." He held his arm out to her and she accepted it, smiling at the gentlemanly gesture.

Conversation flowed as Jack drove Sara to the Japanese restaurant where they would start their date. Jack wasn't too sure about Japanese food but he was willing to give it a try if it impressed Sara. When they went inside, they were escorted to a table and given a menu. Sara suggested that they order a variety of food so that they could try them all and Jack agreed. He went through the menu and picked out some that sounded interesting.

Sara raised her eyebrows when Jack selected sushi with wasabe on it. "Are you sure you want that?" she asked. "It's pretty hot."

"Not a problem," Jack said, confident in his ability to handle spicy foods.

"Okay." Sara let him order it, interested to see how he would handle it. She didn't normally have a mean streak but the thought of Jack trying the wasabe in order to impress her was amusing.

When the sushi arrived, Jack eyed it cautiously, threat-assessing it in an attempt to see if there would be any nasty surprises.

"Be careful, it's hot," Sara cautioned him.

"It'll be fine," Jack said confidently and then took a bite of the sushi. The first few seconds were okay and then the wasabe made itself known. Jack swore as he reached for the glass of water, gulping the liquid down quickly to try and lessen the heat in his mouth. When that didn't work, he poured himself another glass of water, downing it just as quickly.

Sara chuckled as Jack's eyes watered but then took pity on him and handed him a piece of bread roll that she had ordered especially. "Here, eat this," she stated.

Jack grabbed the bread and bit off a large chunk. The heat in his mouth started to die down and he finally relaxed. Embarrassed by his reaction, Jack looked over at Sara, who was trying to hide a smile. "Are you laughing at me?" he queried.

"Yes," she admitted, allowing the smile to appear. "You have to admit, you looked pretty funny." She felt confident that he wouldn't take offence at her words despite this being only their second date.

Reluctantly, Jack found himself smiling too, able to see the truth of that. "You could have warned me."

"I did," Sara pointed out. "Feel better now?" She handed him another piece of bread.

"Marginally." Jack accepted the bread gratefully. He grinned at Sara, thinking how beautiful she was when she smiled; he could definitely fall for her. "So, what _is_ safe to eat?"

After a few games of 'Snap' and one of 'Snakes and Ladders', Daniel began to yawn. Lou noticed and ruffled the kid's hair. "Sounds like it's bedtime."

"Nuh-uh," Daniel shook his head emphatically. "'Nother game."

"I don't think so," Lou stated. "Come on, up you get."

Reluctantly, remembering that Jack had said that he had to go to bed, Daniel obeyed. He went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, went to the toilet, and finally headed to his bedroom where Lou was waiting to tuck him in. "Can I say goodnight to Jack?"

Looking at his watch, Lou decided that Daniel probably wouldn't be interrupting anything if he called now so he pulled out his cell phone and dialled Jack's number.

Lou, what's wrong? Jack said straight away, obviously having caller ID on his phone.

"Nothing," Lou assured his friend. "Daniel just wanted to say goodnight. Hold on a sec." He handed the phone over to the little boy.

"Jack, I learnt how to do the Chicken Dance!" Daniel immediately shared with his brother. "Can you do the Chicken Dance?"

Uh... I don't know. Probably a long time ago, Jack admitted.

"We can do it tomorrow," Daniel enthused, bouncing up and down in his bed.

We'll see. Now you go to sleep, Danny, Jack said, keeping the conversation short.

"Okay. Night, Jack!" When his brother had said goodnight back to him, Daniel handed the phone back to Lou and then snuggled down in bed. "I'm ready for my story now," he stated.

Lou pressed the 'end' button and then put the phone aside. "Right. Have you ever heard the story of The Three Little Pigs?"

Daniel shook his head, curious about why there would be a story about three pigs.

"Well, once upon a time there were three little pigs and they all liked building. One of them made a house of straw, another one made a house of sticks, and the third one made his house from bricks," Lou recited.

"Why?" Daniel wanted to know. "The straw and stick ones will fall down if they didn't do it prop'ly. Mud houses are better," he said knowledgeably, having seen many in Egypt.

Lou was stumped for a moment; he had never been asked that question before. "I don't know," he finally replied. "Maybe that's all the materials they could find."

"Okay." Daniel accepted that and put his listening expression on again.

"Anyway, one day, a big bad wolf arrived at the first house and called out, 'Little Pig, Little Pig, let me in!' And the pig replied, 'Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.' So the wolf said--"

"I don't like wolfs," Daniel said suddenly, snuggling closer to Lou. "They're mean. Tell me a diff-rent story."

"Alright." Lou was surprised that Daniel hadn't liked the story. Most children didn't have a problem with it but obviously there was something about wolves that Daniel didn't like. "How about... Goldilocks and the Three Bears? Do you like bears?"

"Thoth is a bear," Daniel pointed out, holding up his blue teddy bear as evidence.

"So he is." Lou decided that he should be able to tell this story without any problems so he settled back and started reciting it.

Daniel listened quietly until Goldilocks looked at the porridge and then he piped up with, "I love porridge too! Jack got me some with honey in it."

"That sounds delicious," Lou replied before continuing on with the story, his audience of one paying rapt attention.

By the time he was finished, Daniel was fighting to keep his eyes open, determined to stay awake even though he had promised Jack that he would go to sleep. "'Nother one?" he asked, the words punctuated by a yawn.

"Not tonight." Lou made sure Daniel was covered by the bedspread and then ruffled his hair. "The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner Jack will be home."

Daniel's eyes widened briefly before he shut them tightly, wanting Jack to come home soon. "Goodnight, Lou."

"Goodnight, Daniel." Lou turned off the light and made sure there was enough illumination coming from the hallway. Then he headed back to the living room to pack everything up.

"So," Jack said as he escorted Sara to the front door of her apartment after what he considered to be a successful date, "are you busy tomorrow afternoon? Daniel's going to a friend's place for a few hours and I thought that maybe you might like to do something. With me."

"I'm working tomorrow," Sara replied, hating to turn him down, "but how about Sunday? You could bring Daniel along too."

Jack raised his eyebrows; go on a date with Sara and take Daniel along with him? Much as he loved his little brother, that wasn't his idea of a good date. "Uh..."

"I don't mind," Sara continued, thinking that was why Jack was reluctant. She also knew that Jack didn't want to leave Daniel with a babysitter too much at the moment. "We could go down to the lake, have a picnic, play in the park."

He would be nuts to say no, even if the date was going to involve a four-year-old child, Jack eventually decided. "Sounds good. How about I give you a ring on Sunday morning and we can decide the details then?"

"Sure," Sara agreed. She smiled up at Jack. "Well, I suppose I'd better go inside." She waited expectantly, daring him to kiss her first.

"Right." Not one to resist a date, he kissed Sara with more confidence and passion than was present on the last date. He really liked Sara - she was beautiful, she had a good sense of humour, and she smelled really nice. Also, very importantly, she seemed to like children, which would be a bonus if the relationship continued. Jack had never given much thought about how single mothers coped with the dating scene - he had dated a couple in his lifetime - and now he understood why they never seemed interested in more than two dates; they were looking for someone who would like them _and_ their children.

Jack reluctantly drew back and stared into Sara's blue eyes that were lighter in colour than Daniel's. "So, I'll see you on Sunday then," he said, not wanting to leave just yet but knowing he had to go home.

"Sunday," Sara confirmed before giving him a gentle push. "Go home, Daniel will be waiting for you."

"Home, right. Bye" Jack forced himself to walk down the path, occasionally throwing a glance over his shoulder at Sara. After she waved at him, he got into the car and started the engine. His body wanted to follow Sara into the apartment but his brain reminded him that he couldn't do that now. And so he drove home, a smile on his lips at the thought of seeing Sara again on Sunday.

Daniel was sound asleep when Jack arrived home and went in to check on him. "Hey, kiddo, I'm home," he said softly, remembering his promise to wake his little brother but not wanting to disturb him.

Daniel stirred but didn't wake, just turning slightly in Jack's direction.

Leaning in, Jack planted a kiss on Daniel's forehead. "'Night, Danny."

Blue eyes opened briefly, sort of registering that Jack had returned. "Nigh," he breathed before falling asleep again.

Jack smiled and then left the room quietly, leaving Daniel to sleep.

An hour later, he was stirred from his own sleep by a small body curling up next to him in bed. Knowing that Daniel just wanted the reassurance that he was home, Jack decided to let him stay and then he drifted off back to sleep.


	28. The New Bedroom

Well, I got to and finished this part quickly so I hope everyone enjoys it! I'll try and get the picnic section done within the next two weeks so you don't have to wait too long!

Sistine.

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**Part 28 - The New Bedroom**

**Saturday 6th December**

Something fuzzy was tickling his nose. Jack put a hand up to push it away and encountered something soft. Not entirely awake yet, he opened eyes and found two beady black eyes staring down at him from a very close range.

How did the teddy bear end up on his face?

The memory of waking up when Daniel got into bed last night returned. He turned his head to the side, dislodging the bear, and saw the little boy curled up nearby under the covers, only the top of his head and the arm holding Thoth visible. "Danny?" There was no response so Jack shifted the teddy and tucked it under Daniel's arm, moving the limb under the covers.

That was enough to wake Daniel. He blinked sleepily and stared up at his big brother. "Jack?"

"Hey, kiddo. What are you doing in here?" Jack asked, pretending surprise.

"You didn't wake me," Daniel accused, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You promised."

"And I kept that promise," Jack stated, "but you might not remember. You didn't want to wake up." He ruffled the already-messy hair.

Daniel held Thoth up to his ear, as if listening to something the teddy had to say. Then he nodded and focused his attention on Jack again. "Thoth doesn't remember either."

"Well, he was even harder to wake up than you," Jack said, going with the flow. He leaned over and kissed Daniel's forehead. "Do you remember that?"

Daniel frowned, concentrating hard. A flicker of something came to him and he nodded, his frown turning into a smile. Jack had kept his promise! "Can we have porridge for breakfast?" he asked, changing the subject now that everything was fine. He listened to his teddy bear again. "Thoth wants the honey one."

"Oh, Thoth does, does he?" Jack sat up and stretched, feeling well rested despite his late night. Just as well; he would need it shopping with Daniel today. "And what do you want?"

"Honey," Daniel declared decisively. "Jack, can I teach you to do the Chicken Dance?" he asked, getting up on his knees and bouncing enthusiastically.

"Later," Jack stated, not used to dancing before breakfast. "Go put your robe on and then we'll eat, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel scrambled down off the bed, put his slippers on and ran out of the room, leaving Jack to get himself organised quickly for a little boy who would want his porridge as soon as humanly possible.

After honey porridge for breakfast, Daniel got himself dressed - mostly correct - and waited impatiently in the living room for Jack to be ready. He passed the time teaching Thoth how to dance, making sure the teddy bear could do all the moves properly although he knew that they wouldn't be able to dance at the same time because Thoth needed some help.

When Jack appeared, Daniel was all ready for him. "Can we do the Chicken Dance now?" he begged, wanting to share this new thing with his brother; he loved sharing as much as he loved learning. "Pleeeeease?"

"Sure, why not?" While brushing his teeth, Jack had searched his memory and he thought he remembered the dance. Before they started though, he fixed up Daniel's sweater, which the little boy had put on back-to-front. "Alright, so what do we do first?"

Several minutes later, Jack found himself dancing along with Daniel, the moves coming back to him, and getting caught up in the kid's enthusiasm. He marvelled that Daniel approached these kind of things so full of wonder, and acknowledged sadly that he had lost that sense of wonder many years ago. He would try to help Daniel maintain his for as long as possible to compensate.

"Thoth wants to dance too," Daniel said suddenly, retrieving the teddy bear and holding it out to Jack. "Can you help him? Pleeeeease?"

And so, much to Daniel's delight, Jack found himself making the teddy dance, something he had never imagined he would do. His friends from Special Ops would laugh to see him now but Jack didn't care; his priorities had changed dramatically in the last couple of weeks. Okay, actually he _did_ care because his image would take quite a battering if he was seen by anyone. But he shouldn't be worrying about that now, not when it was unlikely that anyone _would_ see him.

He hoped.

At 0930, Jack and Daniel set off for their shopping expedition. Jack had a list - which Lou had thoughtfully written out for him last night after Daniel had gone to sleep - of items considered necessary for a little boy's room. He wasn't planning on getting everything on the list but Jack had to admit that Lou had some good ideas on there. Posters for the wall, since he wasn't allowed to repaint the rooms in his rented house; a colourful cover for the bed; a nightlight, preferrably with Disney characters on it; a small chair and table (which he had already thought of); and Lego blocks were the items Jack was actually planning on getting, while the other things could wait until Christmas.

Daniel was still enthusiastic about the whole 'ex-pa-dish-on', talking a mile a minute about anything that popped into his head. They went to get the bedcover first, and Daniel was amazed at the choice that confronted him. The covers with characters from television and movies, he mostly ignored because although they were colourful, he had no idea who they were. In the end, it came down to a choice between 'Finding Nemo' and one with lots of clouds on it. Daniel had been disappointed that he couldn't find one with pyramids but he liked the other two almost as much. "Which one should I get?" he asked his big brother.

"I think they're both great," Jack replied, surreptitiously checking his watch and making sure they still had time to get the rest of the stuff. "Which one do you like the most?"

Daniel stared at the two covers for another few seconds, a serious expression of concentration on his face. He liked the big fish but he decided he liked the clouds better because it kind of reminded him of Egypt. "That one," he said, pointing out his choice to Jack.

"Then that one it is." Jack bought it and then the two of them headed off to the next shop.

The nightlight proved to be much easier, getting a rainbow coloured one in the shape of a lamp that would be able to sit on Daniel's bedside table. The saleslady there, a middle-aged woman, who had obviously raised boys, recommended that Jack also buy a height chart so that Daniel could see how tall he was getting. Daniel thought that was a wonderful idea and so Jack bought a chart with a giraffe on it that they could put up somewhere in the little boy's room.

Choosing the chest for Daniel's special things was simple, and Jack arranged to have it delivered after work on Monday. At the same place, they found a small white plastic table with a map on the top and two matching plastic chairs, which Jack bought and put straight in the car. Then it was onto the posters, and it took half an hour for Daniel to look through all the choices. He finally picked out a couple with scenes from Egypt, one from the movie 'Aladdin' with the genie and magic lamp on it, and one with a camel and her baby.

They headed back to the car and drove to the toy shop where Sara worked - not that Jack had any ulterior motive or anything for chosing that particular store. He would have gone there anyway, he told himself as he led Daniel inside; if he saw Sara, that was just an added bonus.

Daniel was thrilled to be back at the toy store, thinking that maybe he was getting his pyramid jigsaw even though Jack had said that he had to get a smaller one first. He tugged on Jack's hand, wanting his attention.

"What?" Jack asked, looking down at the little boy.

"Where are the jigsaws?"

"Uh..." Jack looked at all the aisles, trying to remember which one the jigsaws had been in. He knew that he _should_ remember but considering how distracted he had been that day, he wasn't surprised that he was having trouble. "We'll find them. But first, we're going to find some Lego for you to build stuff with."

"What's Lego?" Daniel questioned, not ever seeing it before.

"Little blocks that stick together so you can make things like pyramids," Jack explained as he headed down one aisle at random. It wasn't the correct aisle, so he went down two more before he found the Lego packets. "Alright," he muttered, looking at the large range. Did he just want to get the ordinary stuff so Daniel could build anything he wanted to or maybe a few specialised packets like pirates? Probably the ordinary blocks, he decided, since Daniel seemed to be more into pyramids than anything else. There was a large bucket with assorted pieces in it that Jack figured would be the best as it would give Daniel a variety of sizes and colours to choose from, and the bucket could be used to store all the Lego in. He picked one of the buckets up and then took Daniel's hand again to lead him down the aisle.

"How big are the blocks?" Daniel wanted to know as they walked along.

"Some of them are very small," Jack replied, "so you'll have to be very careful not to lose them. Other blocks are bigger but you'll still have to be careful with them."

"Will I be able to build a pyramid?" Daniel continued.

"Definitely." Jack spied Sara coming down the aisle and he automatically smiled. "Hi, Sara."

"Hi." Sara smiled back at him and then she looked at the little boy who was staring up at her, his expression cautious. "Hello, Daniel."

"Hello," Daniel replied, leaning shyly against Jack. He remembered who she was but wasn't familiar enough with her to be talkative.

"What are you buying today?" Sara asked Daniel, thinking he looked so cute as he burrowed against Jack's leg.

When Daniel didn't answer straight away, Jack nudged him gently. "Lego blocks and a jigsaw," Daniel stated quietly.

Jack held up the bucket. "I figured this was a good start."

"It certainly is," Sara agreed. "It would probably be a good idea to also get a mat for Daniel to use so then the blocks are all in one place."

"Right. Uh, where are they?" Jack asked, not having seen them when they were getting the Lego blocks.

Sara grinned as she pointed behind her - to the aisle where Jack and Daniel had just come from.

"Oh." That was just his luck. "I'll just..." Jack gestured towards the aisle.

"I'll come with you," Sara decided since she wasn't busy at the moment.

The three of them went back down the aisle and found the mats. Since Daniel was being shy and not choosing when he was asked to, Jack picked out a mat with roads and buildings on it. Then they all went around to the jigsaws.

Daniel's eyes immediately found the pyramid one but he didn't say anything, remembering that he wasn't allowed to get it yet. He thought that was very unfair but he knew it was a rule that he had to do the easier ones first so he looked around for one that interested him. Eventually, his gaze settled on one with kittens on it. He checked to make sure it was 100 pieces and then he pointed it silently out to Jack.

"This one?" Jack asked, pointing to one with Star Wars pictures on it. At the shake of Daniel's head, Jack pointed to the one next to it. "This one?"

Daniel nodded and held one hand out for it, the other still firmly holding onto Jack's hand.

Since Jack had his hands full, Sara got the puzzle off the shelf and handed it to the little boy. "There you go, Daniel."

"Thank you," Daniel replied, holding tightly onto his new jigsaw.

Sara smiled at him and then looked up at Jack. "Is it just me, or is Daniel naturally shy?" she questioned, wondering why the child wasn't talking very much to her.

"Just shy of new people," Jack stated, having watched Daniel interact with various people over the past few weeks. "But once he gets to know you, he doesn't stop talking, do you?" he teased his little brother, squeezing Daniel's hand.

Daniel didn't know how to reply to that but he had the feeling that Jack wanted him to say something so he contributed, "I like chocolate milkshakes."

The unexpected comment made Sara laugh. "So do I," she said. "What about strawberry ones?"

"I never tried that one, only chocolate," Daniel replied. "Is straw-bry nice?"

"Definitely," Sara stated emphatically; it was her favourite.

Daniel looked up at his brother. "Jack, can I try a straw-bry milkshake? Do they have them at McDonald's? Are we going to McDonald's for lunch?" he asked.

"Yes, yes and yes," Jack replied, pleased that Daniel had said more than a few words.

"Let's go now," Daniel decided and tugged on Jack's hand to lead him out of the store.

"Just wait a sec, Danny," Jack said, standing his ground; he wanted to say goodbye to Sara and check about the picnic the next day. He looked at Sara and gave her a half-grin, a little embarrassed by Daniel's behaviour now. "So, I'll ring you tomorrow?"

"That will be great," Sara confirmed. "I look forward to it." It should be a very interesting date, especially after Daniel had warmed up to her again.

"Great," Jack echoed, thinking about how it would be good to see her again. Then he wondered how he was going to leave. "Well, um, we'd better go." He had to make one more stop before he took Daniel to lunch.

"Bye, then. Bye, Daniel." Sara gave the little boy a genuine smile.

"Bye!" Daniel said loudly as he pulled Jack away. "Come _on_, Jack! I'm hungry!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jack assured his brother before turning his head to see Sara still watching him. Giving her a big grin, he let Daniel lead him to the front of the store to buy the various items.

A few minutes later, they were at K-mart where Jack took Daniel straight to the DVD section and found the 'Aladdin' movie for sale. He had decided to get that movie for Daniel as the kid loved it, and he was going to get 'Finding Nemo' too; since Daniel had the backpack, he might as well have the movie. When he found the movie and read the back of it though, he decided against buying it as it involved a little fish getting separated from his parents. So he had a look around for something else to get.

"This one, Jack, this one!" Daniel exclaimed, holding out one called "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". "It's about an archaeol'gist who finds the lost city of Atlantis under the sea!" It sounded like a wonderful story to him, and considering it was about an archaeologist, it was even better than the other stories he had looked at.

Jack looked at the synopsis and decided that it could be okay for Daniel to watch. "Okay, we'll get that one." That should keep Daniel interested for a while, and at Christmas, Jack would get him some more movies.

Their shopping expedition complete, Jack went to the McDonald's drive-through and got some food for them both. Since it wasn't quite lunchtime yet, Jack then drove to the park where they sat in the car and ate while they watched people play outside in the cold.

Daniel crawled onto the front passenger seat so that he could see everything as well as talk to Jack. "Aren't they cold?" he queried at one stage, wondering how people could be outside when it was so cold. Growing up in the heat of Egypt had made temperatures like this seemed freezing to him.

"Probably," Jack replied, "but some people like the cold. That's why they invented things like ice hockey and skating."

"What are they?" Daniel had never heard of those things before.

And so Jack had to explain about the two sports and promised Daniel that closer to Christmas, they would go ice-skating. That, he thought to himself, would certainly be an interesting day.

After they finished lunch, Jack drove home so that they could put all the purchases away. Very importantly to Daniel, the first thing that was brought inside was the table and chairs, and they were immediately put in the middle of his room. Daniel grinned proudly at the sight; he now had somewhere of his own to work instead of on the floor or at the living room table.

The height chart was stuck up on the back of the door and straight away, Daniel wanted to be measured. "How tall am I? Have I growed?" he asked eagerly, bouncing on his toes.

"Just stay still for a minute and I'll be able to see," Jack told him. When Daniel obeyed, Jack put a mark on the chart and wrote the date beside it just as the saleslady at the shop instructed him to do. "Here, have a look."

Daniel turned and looked at where the mark was. "I growed, Jack!" he exclaimed, very pleased with himself. "Can I measure Thoth?"

"Sure, why not?" Jack agreed, and so Daniel brought his teddy bear over to stand against the door.

"Jack, he's not big enough!" Daniel said in disappointment. "Can we go back and get a smaller thing so he can see how much he's growed?"

"I don't think they make them any smaller, Danny," Jack pointed out, just imagining the conversation at the store when he asked for a teddy bear-sized chart. "But sometime this week, if we have time, we'll make one, okay?"

Daniel grinned as he nodded. "Then I can see how big all my toys are!"

"Exactly. Now, let's put the rest of the stuff away," Jack suggested, putting the small nightlight on the bedside table and plugging it in, then he turned his attention to the new bedcover. "How about you put the Lego and the mat in the bottom of your wardrobe for the moment?"

"Okay." Daniel lugged the bucket of building blocks over to the wardrobe, put it down, opened the door, picked the bucket up again and put it inside. Then he went back for the mat and put it in with the bucket. "What about the jigsaw?"

"We'll put it in the living room," Jack replied, gathering up the old bedcover and dumping it on the double bed. Then he collected the four posters and said, "Alright, where should we put these?"

Daniel surveyed his room and got up onto his bed so he could decide things properly. Then he pointed to the space about the chest of drawers and instructed, "Put the camel up there and the genie over there." He pointed to the space above the double bed for that one, and then for the final two, he turned to the wall next to him. "And the Egypt one here and the pyramids up there!" That way, if there was one next to him and one on the ceiling, he would be able to look at them every night.

"Right." Jack looked up at the ceiling and figured he might need some assistance, as in a ladder, getting up there. "Well, how about I put up the other three first and then we'll see about the other one?" Since he was going to be calling Lou to help him shift the double bed anyway, he might as well wait to do the ceiling poster then too.

"Yeah sure, you betcha," Daniel sing-songed in agreement, causing Jack to give him a startled look.

"Where did you learn that from?" he asked curiously, wondering what Lou had been teaching the boy.

"From you!" Daniel exclaimed happily. "You've said it lots."

"Oh." Jack decided he might have to be a little more careful in what he said just in case he let slip any swear words in the future; he had forgotten how quickly Daniel picked up words. "Right, well, let's get these up."

After three of the posters were stuck to the walls, Jack told Daniel it was 'quiet time' so they could both have a rest before they went around to Cassie's. Daniel immediately got one of his books and curled up on the couch next to Jack, reading quietly in his big brother's presence.

And so half an hour quickly passed before Jack had to get Daniel ready for his play-date. Into the backpack was placed Thoth, a book on Egypt, and some spare clothes just in case Daniel got wet or dirty. Then Daniel was ready for his next new adventure.

When they reached Janet's house and got out of the car, Daniel started to get a little nervous about meeting Cassie's mommy. But when he saw Cassie running out of the house, he forgot all about being nervous and ran to meet her. "Guess what? I got lots of new things today like a table and chairs and pictures to put on the wall and building blocks and a thing on the door which tells me how big I am!"

"Cool!" Cassie exclaimed in admiration. "I got new shoes yesterday. Wanna see?"

"Yep!" And off the two of them ran.

Jack walked up the path to meet Janet. "Well, it looks like those two will be alright."

"They'll be fine," Janet stated with a smile on her face. "Is there anything Daniel shouldn't eat or is allergic to?"

"Oh, right. The immunisation dates are on there too," he said as he pulled out the list and handed it to her, having remembered to bring it. "So, uh, should I go say goodbye to him before I go?" He had no idea of the protocol for these sort of things.

"That would probably be a good idea." Janet led the way inside and down the hallway to Cassie's bedroom where they could hear giggling. "Cassie!"

"Yes, Mommy?" the little girl called back.

"Jack wants to say goodbye to Daniel."

A second later, Daniel raced out of the room and attached himself to Jack's legs. "Aren't you going to stay?"

With some effort, Jack loosened the grip Daniel had on him and then crouched down to his brother's level. "No, I've got some stuff to do at home but I promise I will be back at five o'clock to get you, and when you come home, I'll have your bedroom all fixed up." He fixed up Daniel's glasses, which had become skewed when the little boy had hugged him. "So you have lots of fun with Cassie."

"Uh-huh." Daniel hugged Jack around the neck and then let go. "Love you, Jack."

"Love you too, Danny." Jack ruffled the shaggy hair and then stood up. "You'd better go and play because I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay! Bye!" Daniel ran back into the bedroom.

As Janet walked Jack to the front door, she commented, "He seems a little insecure."

"Yeah, well, his parents said goodbye to him a couple of weeks ago and didn't come home, so he's naturally a bit worried when I leave him," Jack imparted as if he knew all about that kind of psychology. "My number's on the list if Daniel gets worried."

Janet nodded knowingly, aware of how trauma could affect children. "He'll be fine. You go and have some time to yourself."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, see you later," Jack said as he walked out the front door. He felt somewhat reluctant to leave Daniel there but he told himself that it was a good thing, and he would be able to get things done without a four-year-old underfoot. First things first though, and that was to get Lou over so that the bedroom could be fixed up. As he got into the car, he dialled Lou's number on his cell phone.

Over the next three hours, Daniel had a wonderful time with Cassie. They played with their stuffed toys, did some 'ex-ki-vating' in the sandpit before it started to rain, did some colouring-in, and read through some of Daniel's book. They also had cookies and milk as a mid-afternoon snack, during which Janet took the opportunity to ask Daniel some questions. "So, how do you like living with your brother?"

"Good! He's got me lots of new stuff, and we make cookies, and he took me to the zoo so I could see all the animals, and we're going to go skating, and one day he's going to take me to his cabin so we can see the fish," Daniel recited after finishing his mouthful of cookie.

"That sounds wonderful," Janet commented.

"And he's got lots of rules," Daniel continued, "but that's okay 'cos I got one too and he has to read me a story with voices every night."

Janet wondered what kind of rules a bachelor like Jack would have made. "What kind of rules did Jack make?"

"Not to put my thumb in my mouth 'cos it'll get all wrinkled, and not to say bad words, and..." Daniel frowned as he thought. "I don't 'member the others," he confessed.

They were pretty good rules, Janet thought, and said as much as she quietly wondered what the rules were that Daniel had forgotten.

"Come on, Daniel, let's go colour!" Cassie said eagerly as she got down from her chair.

"'Kay!" Daniel followed suit, and they ran off to the living room where the colouring books and crayons were.

Jack arrived at Janet's house at exactly five o'clock, determined not to be late. He and Lou had shifted the double bed out to the garage and had moved the boxes of photos inside into Daniel's room, and they had also put the pyramid poster on the ceiling above the little boy's bed. Then they had relaxed with one beer each - Jack very much aware he couldn't drink more than that or he shouldn't drive - and watched two Simpsons episodes which Jack had taped during the week.

He knocked on the front door and Janet answered after a few seconds. "Come in," she said, ushering him inside. "They're just packing up."

As if her words had been heard, Daniel appeared at the end of the hallway, backpack on his back. "Jack!" He ran over to his brother, arms outstretched and wanting to be picked up.

"Hey, kiddo, how was your afternoon?" Jack asked as he lifted his brother into his arms.

"Great! Can Cassie come to our house tomorrow?" Daniel inquired enthusiastically.

"Uh, we've got plans tomorrow but how about sometime after day-care this week?" Jack suggested, thinking quickly. He was planning on taking Daniel to the cabin in Minnesota on Friday night so that they could spend the weekend there, as the next weekend was too close to Christmas.

"How about Tuesday?" Janet put forward. "I have a staff meeting at four, so if you could pick up Cassie from day-care, I'll come get her at six." She knew that looking after two children may be a little overwhelming for Jack and this would ease him into it.

"Yeah!" the two little kids shouted, excited at having another chance to play with each other.

Jack winced as Daniel shouted in his ear, and shifted the boy's weight briefly to rub his ear. "Sounds like that's agreed then. Say goodbye to Cassie, Daniel."

"Bye, Cassie!" Daniel echoed, waving energetically at her. "I'll show you my new room on Tuesday."

"Bye, Daniel!" Cassie waved back.

"O-kay," Jack muttered, wondering how to now leave. "Well, we'd better get going. Thanks, Doc, for looking after Daniel."

"It was no problem," Janet replied, smiling at the cute little boy. "And we'd be very pleased if Daniel could come to Cassie's birthday party in two weeks time."

"Oooh!" Daniel thought that sounded wonderful. "Please, Jack, can I come, pleeeease?"

"Probably," Jack agreed, already planning to get more information about it on Monday before he committed to anything. He started walking towards the door, Daniel looking over his shoulder and waving to Cassie, calling out, "Bye!"

All the way home, Daniel related what he and Cassie had done all afternoon. When they got home, he ran straight into his room, eager to see what Jack had done. "Oooh!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands upon spying the pyramid poster on the ceiling. Then he noticed that the other bed was gone and that lots of boxes were in its place. He ran over to them and started investigating. "Jack, look, lots of photos!" he called out as he discovered the albums.

"I know. That's what we're getting the chest for, so you have a special place to put them," Jack stated, coming into the room and crouching down beside his brother. "So, what do you think of your room?"

"Super cool!" Daniel enthused, abandoning his search through the boxes to hug Jack. "Thank you, Jack!"

"You're welcome," Jack replied, hugging the little boy back. Sophie had been right; it was moments like these that made him feel that looking after Daniel was worthwhile.

After dinner, they sat down on the couch to do some quiet reading or, in Daniel's case, drawing. Then it was bath time again, and finally Daniel was snuggled up in bed, listening to Jack read him a story. Because it had been a long day though, and he had used up lots of energy, Daniel fell asleep halfway through. Jack broke off reading when he realised that Daniel wasn't listening anymore and gently made sure the new cover was keeping the kid nice and warm. Then he kissed Daniel on the forehead, switched the new nightlight on, and left the room.

tbc…


	29. The Picnic

I managed to get this part written before I go on holidays in a few days time g> . If I don't reply to your feedback, I will when I get back, I promise! I hope you all enjoy the picnic g> .

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**Part 29 -** **The Picnic**

**Sunday, 7th December**

It was a surprise the next morning for Jack to wake up without Daniel having migrated to his bed. That was a good thing because it meant that Daniel was getting used to sleeping in his own bed, however Jack was kind of getting used to finding the little boy there. He lay in bed and listened to see if he could hear Daniel moving around but couldn't hear anything. Did that mean that Daniel wasn't up yet or was just being quiet? Or maybe he was hurt or something.

A little concerned, Jack got out of bed, threw on a robe and put his slippers on, and went to his brother's bedroom. As he drew near the bedroom, he could hear Daniel coughing so he went inside. "Morning, kiddo."

Daniel opened his eyes and looked blearily up at his big brother. "My throat hurts," he complained. His words were punctuated by another cough and then a sniff.

_Uh-oh_, Jack thought, sitting down next to Daniel and feeling his forehead; the kid didn't seem to have a temperature. "Maybe you've caught a bit of a cold," he suggested.

Daniel's face wrinkled up in confusion. "How do you catch a cold?" he asked, never having had one in Egypt - as far as he knew, anyway.

"There are a few different ways," Jack replied, getting a tissue and handing it to Daniel. "My guess is, someone at day-care had it and some of the germs went into you." Which was just what he didn't need because if Daniel was sick, how was they supposed to go out with Sara today?

Daniel blew his nose and then coughed again. "I don't like this," he complained. "My tummy feels funny. Make it go away."

Jack ruffled Daniel's hair and mentally sighed. "I'll do my best." He rarely got sick so what did he know about helping Daniel's cold disappear quickly? "How about some toast for breakfast?"

"Okay." Daniel didn't feel like porridge this morning because his tummy felt a bit funny too.

Since it was quite cold inside the house, Jack dressed Daniel in the warm robe then wrapped the multi-coloured blanket around him too and carried him into the kitchen. He put Daniel on his chair and then headed into the living room to turn the radiator on; they would need the heat today. After that, he went back into the kitchen and made some toast for them both.

Daniel ate his breakfast much slower than usual, which made Jack worry. Instead of chocolate milk, Jack gave him orange juice to drink, knowing it was better for an upset stomach. Daniel screwed up his nose but drank it without complaint as it made his tummy feel a little better.

After breakfast and getting Daniel through the morning bathroom rituals, Jack took his little brother back to bed, tucking him in and giving him a book to read. Then he went to his room and got dressed, and then went back out to the living room and put a call through to Janet; he needed to know what to do with Daniel.

When he got off the phone - after being told he should get Daniel vaccinated against the flu when the boy was feeling better - Jack looked at the list of things he needed to get: cough medicine for children; a children's thermometer; Vaporub that could be put on Daniel's chest to help him breathe; and cough drops which the kid could suck on. How was he supposed to get all this stuff if he couldn't leave the house? Could he ask Lou to get it? Or should he go shopping and ask Lou to come around and babysit Daniel? Maybe the former if Lou was agreeable to it - Jack had the feeling that Daniel might not want him to go anywhere today.

That decided, he gave Lou a ring and fortunately, his friend agreed to get as much as the stuff as possible. After the call, Jack went back into Daniel's bedroom to see how the kid was going.

Daniel perked up when he saw Jack enter the room. "Read to me please?" he asked, holding the book out to his big brother. He liked reading himself but his eyes didn't want to read today.

"Okay." Jack sat down, Daniel immediately snuggling against his side, and started reading about some Egyptian myths. It looked like he would have to entertain Daniel all day.

Forty-five minutes later, Lou arrived with the various medicines. He showed Jack how to use the thermometer - Daniel's temperature was only slightly higher than normal - and also explained how the Vaporub worked. Then he entertained Daniel for a few minutes while Jack organised the jigsaw in the living room.

"I don't like colds," Daniel complained as Lou carried him out to the living room when Jack was ready. "They hurt."

"I know they can," Lou replied, "but that's why we've got you special medicine to make it hurt less. And with any luck, you'll be all better by tomorrow." He put Daniel down on the couch and sat down beside him. "Oh, this looks like an interesting puzzle," he commented.

"It's kittens," Daniel said, stating the obvious. "I like cats. So did the Ancient Egyptians. They used to mummify cats and put them in their tombs because they were very 'portant." He rummaged around in his robe pocket, found a tissue, and blew his nose loudly.

"I like cats too," Lou agreed, ruffling Daniel's hair. "And I'd like to stay and help you but I've got to take my grandmother to church. She can't drive so I take her every Sunday I can."

"What's church?" Daniel then wanted to know.

"It's a place where people go and worship God," Lou explained in simple terms.

"Like a mosque?" Daniel knew all about mosques having lived in an Islamic country.

Lou nodded. "Exactly but it's different. You'll have to get Jack to take you one day." He grinned at his friend, knowing that Jack wasn't exactly the religious type.

"Today?" Daniel asked his brother.

"No, not today. One day when you're feeling better," Jack replied, grateful to have an excuse. "Lou, thanks again for getting that stuff."

"No problem. You get better soon, okay?" Lou said to Daniel.

Daniel nodded. "Okay," he agreed. As Lou walked to the door, Daniel lifted the lid of his jigsaw box and started on his new puzzle, coughing slightly as he leaned over the table. He had found several edge pieces by the time Jack came back to sit next to him. "Are you going to help me?" he questioned, snuggling up to his brother's side.

"Only if you need it," Jack stated. "I've got to do a couple of things first though. We were going to go on a picnic today with Sara so I have to call her and tell her that we can't go."

"Why not?" Daniel asked just before he started coughing again.

"That's why," Jack waited until after Daniel had stopped to reply. "It's very cold outside today anyway, which won't do you any good."

Daniel pouted; he didn't want to be the cause of not going on a picnic, even if he would have to share Jack with someone else. Very generously, he suggested, "Can we have a picnic here?"

Jack stared down at the kid for a moment, surprised that the idea hadn't occurred to him earlier. "Are you sure you're up to it? Is your tummy feeling okay?"

This time, Daniel nodded, not exactly lying; it did feel better than earlier. "We could put a rug on the floor and sit on cushions," he continued, taking a brief break to blow his nose, "and pretend we're in Egypt." That thought cheered him up a lot. "Pleeease?"

The more Jack thought about it, the better it sounded. He would get to have his date with Sara _and_ look after Daniel at the same time. "You betcha," he said, grinning down at Daniel. "You keep working, I'll go call Sara."

He left Daniel sitting on the couch and took the phone into the kitchen for a little bit of privacy. After a few minutes, he came back, a big grin on his face. "She'll be here by noon. So, let's see how much we can do before she gets here."

After an hour of concentration, they had the border of the jigsaw done. Well, Daniel had concentrated on it, Jack had mainly found the pieces for him while helping out a little at the end. It constantly amazed Jack just how smart Daniel was, and he realised that he was going to have to find a good school for his brother next year that would meet his needs. He wondered whether he would have to start looking soon or whether it could wait until closer the time.

It was getting close to noon so Jack started getting things ready for the picnic. He got Daniel to help him, the little boy eagerly placing cushions on the floor around the edge of the special picnic blanket that Jack had found in the garage. Then Daniel put the plastic plates and cutlery on the blanket while Jack prepared the food.

"Danny, go and get dressed," Jack ordered awhile later. He had put the clothes he wanted Daniel to wear on the bed, knowing that the kid would dress in those.

"You betcha." Daniel was off and running - well, walking very fast anyway.

Jack shook his head; he would have to teach Daniel the correct use of that phrase.

Daniel was back pretty soon, nice and warm in his sweats, thick sweater and slippers, ready to help Jack get things organised. He had also brought out Thoth, Khufu, Taweret and Denahi and put them on the blanket; he wanted them to share in the picnic too. "I'm ready, Jack!" he called, his words followed by a bout of coughing.

"That reminds me," Jack said as he came back into the living room. "When you're coughing, Danny, you need to cover your mouth with your hand so that the germs don't escape."

Daniel tilted his head inquisitively. "Why?"

"Because germs love food and other people, and it's not polite to share germs with everyone else," was the most tactful way Jack could put the concept. He had received a lecture from Janet on the subject as well, so he was now quite knowledgeable about germs. "And that means that you have to wash your hands a lot too so that the germs don't jump back into you."

"What are germs?" was Daniel's next question after he absorbed all the other information.

"Tiny, tiny little things that make people sick," Jack explained.

Daniel held up his hands to see if he could see any of the 'tiny tiny little things' trying to get back into him. He squinted but couldn't find any of them. "I don't think I've got any on me," he stated, holding out his hands so Jack could see as well.

"Well, just to be on the safe side, you'd better go wash them before lunch," Jack suggested, giving Daniel a pat on the head. He watched the little boy bounce - a little less enthusiastically than usual - to the bathroom and then went back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal.

When the doorbell rang five minutes later, Daniel suddenly went shy. He wasn't sure about this woman who was about to invade their home and eat with him and Jack. He leaned against Jack, who was sitting next to him, and put his thumb in his mouth - a gesture that was soon reversed when he realised that he couldn't breathe.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jack asked, lifting Daniel into his arms as he stood. "You feeling okay?"

Daniel nodded slowly; he didn't know how to explain how he felt about Sara. He wanted to spend lots of time with Jack and she was going to prevent that.

"Okay." Jack decided to worry about it later; right now, he had to let Sara in. He went over to the front door, Daniel plastered against his chest, and opened it. "Hi," he said, a grin on his face.

"Hi," Sara replied, a smile on her face. Then she turned to look at the little boy in Jack's arms. "Hi, Daniel."

"Hello," Daniel said quietly, lifting his head slightly to look at the woman.

"Come on in," Jack continued, stepping back to let Sara inside. "Welcome to our humble abode."

"Thank you." Sara stepped into the house and then went into the living room when Jack gestured that way. "Oh, this looks nice," she said upon seeing the carpet picnic that had been set up.

"You don't mind?" Jack queried as he sat down, shifting Daniel to his lap when the little boy showed no signs of sitting elsewhere.

"Not in the least," Sara replied, sitting down opposite him. "I used to have lots of picnics like this when I was younger." She was really looking forward to this, both spending time with Jack and the unusual date.

This caused Daniel to look at her with interest. "Who with?"

"Usually with my friends or my toys. Picnics are always better when it's shared with friends, isn't it?" Sara invited Daniel to agree.

"Yep," Daniel nodded enthusiastically. "That's Thoth and Taweret and Khufu and Denahi," he introduced his toys, pointing to them each in turn.

"It's nice to meet you," Sara said to them in all seriousness. "They all have unusual names. Can you tell me about them?" She was beginning to get the feeling that Daniel was an unusual child, given that he had lived in Egypt until recently.

Daniel's eyes lit up; someone to share information with! "Thoth was the god of the moon and then writing and sciences and he was the creator of language and knowledge and he was very wise but also he liked talking lots and the other gods were always telling him to be quiet," he started with, unable to see Jack's amusement at that statement. Then, seeing Sara was paying attention, he continued on, giving both Sara and Jack an overview of the Egyptian gods while everyone ate.

The picnic of sandwiches and fruit was a success, even with Daniel coughing, sneezing or sniffing every few minutes. Jack had the foresight to have a box of tissues on hand ready for Daniel to use, as well as a rubbish bin nearby to dispose of them in. And Daniel got along alright with Sara, the young boy sharing stories with her and deciding that maybe she wasn't so bad. Part of that decision might have had something to do with the fact that he got to sit on Jack's lap all through lunch.

After lunch, Jack gave Daniel's tummy a rub and suggested, "How about you show Sara your jigsaw while I clean up?"

"'Kay." For the first time in nearly an hour, Daniel moved off Jack's lap and crawled over to the table. "It's over here. I'm doing it all by myself and Jack's only helping me a little," he said proudly. "He found the pieces and I put them together."

"Wow, you're doing a great job," Sara enthused, genuinely amazed at how much Daniel had done and how smart he seemed to be.

Daniel shuffled his feet, going shy at the praise. "Daddy showed me how to stick arty-facts together when we were in Egypt. It's just like that but it's a little harder 'cos there's pictures and everything."

"You sound like you had a wonderful time in Egypt," Sara noted, smiling at the cute little boy.

"You betcha!" Daniel liked that phrase of Jack's and was using it often. "I liked it lots but I can't go back there now but I like living with Jack so that's okay and when I get big then I can go back and be an archeol'gist like Mommy and Daddy." He leaned against Sara slightly, a little sad about not being able to go back to Egypt with his parents.

"I bet you'll be a great archaeologist," Sara stated, rubbing Daniel's back gently.

"He'll be the best," Jack said as he came back into the living room. He had left the blanket on the floor and had brought out the bucket of Lego. "Daniel, come over here."

Daniel went over to his big brother and sat down right beside him, leaning against his leg. "Can I build a pyramid?"

"You sure can." As Daniel started to sort through the Lego blocks, Jack looked over at Sara and gestured with a tilt of his head for her to join them.

Sara did, settling down nearby on one of the cushions. "Am I allowed to build something too?" she asked Daniel.

"Uh-huh," Daniel said, busy concentrating on his blocks. This was going to take a lot of working out. Using the large square thin base, he made a square with the long blocks - with a little gap for the entrance - and then contemplated his next move. Since he wanted the blocks to go inwards to make a step pyramid, they would need to go in at an angle so he tried that but the blocks wouldn't stay put, they kept falling down. "Jack, help me!" he begged, pulling on his big brother's sleeve. "Make them stay."

Jack surveyed the problem but before he could come up with an answer, Sara found the solution. "You'll need to put more blocks in the middle," she said, "and make it a solid pyramid. After all, the Great Pyramids are almost solid, aren't they? So if you fill it all in, the outside blocks will stay where they're supposed to."

"There's only little chambers and hallways," Daniel agreed with her, seeing the merits in the plan. He leaned forward to get more blocks, intent on filling in his square.

"Nice one," Jack commented to Sara, pleased to know she could think on her feet.

"Thank you." Sara smiled at him and then went back to making her house.

Jack felt the effects of that smile deep inside and he shifted uncomfortably. _Think of something else_, he told himself, not wanting to get aroused while Daniel was around. He looked down at the plane he was making and tried to concentrate on that instead of how beautiful Sara looked when she smiled.

There was more conversation while they kept working, with Daniel praising the other two occasionally, and as Daniel put the finishing touches on his pyramid, he started yawning.

"I think someone needs a nap," Jack teased his little brother, ruffling his hair.

"Uh-uh." Daniel shook his head vigorously. "I'm nearly finished."

Jack waited until Daniel had put the last block on his pyramid and then said, "That looks great, kiddo. Now, nap time."

Daniel frowned mutinously. "I don't wanna have a nap. I'm not tired." His body betrayed him by yawning at the end of that statement.

"I think parts of you disagree," Jack commented. He put his plane down and picked Daniel up. "Come on, you can play with the pyramid later."

"You know, Daniel," Sara piped up, trying to head off more protests by Daniel, "I would love to see your room. Jack mentioned the other day that you were going to get some new things for it."

Daniel thought about that for a moment and then nodded. "But I'm not going to bed," he told Jack as he rested his head on his brother's shoulder.

"We'll see," was all Jack would say to that. He knew from experience that Daniel would be out like a light soon.

The three of them went into the bedroom and Sara made appropriately enthusiastic comments on Daniel's new things. Satisfied that Sara was an okay person, Daniel let Jack tuck him into bed and his eyes closed soon after.

Jack waited for a minute to make sure that Daniel was breathing alright and then he gestured for Sara to precede him back to the living room. "Sorry about the change of plans," he apologised as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Don't be. I had fun," Sara replied, meaning what she said. Watching Jack with Daniel had been very educational and she thought he would make a wonderful father. "It's been a long time since I've played with Lego."

"Me too. However I'm finding that I'm doing a lot of stuff that I haven't done for a long time since Daniel arrived," Jack stated wryly.

"Well, I think you're doing a great job with him." Being bold, Sara stepped towards Jack and then leaned in to kiss him. "A very good job," she said a few moments later.

"Uh..." Jack cleared his throat. "Thanks. Uh, do you want to stay for a coffee?" he asked, his brain trying desperately to get back into gear.

"I'd love one, thank you." Smiling knowingly, Sara sat down on the couch, her heart racing and a tingly feeling inside her. That confirmed her suspicions that she was attracted to Jack; whether it was more than that, she didn't know yet. But she definitely wanted to find out.

"Right." Jack forced himself to leave the living room and go into the kitchen. Sara's kisses were affecting him more every time, which he wasn't sure was a good thing. But so long as Sara was with him, he was quite happy with the way things were.

When he finished with making the coffee, he took two cups into the living room and sat down beside Sara. "So, what shall we talk about?"

"Do you like hockey?" Sara asked.

Jack grinned; she couldn't have asked a better question.

tbc…


	30. The Picnic, part 2

This is a little shorter than I thought it would be but I hope you all enjoy it anyway g>. Oh, and the bit at the end is setting up a later storyline, just in case anyone is wondering about it g>.

And a big thank you to all those who have been sending feedback so far - it is truly appreciated, and occasionally the suggestions that are put forward give me ideas of where to send the fic :)

Sistine.

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**Part 30 - The Picnic, part 2**

Jack and Sara spent a very pleasant hour talking about sports - mainly ice hockey, which they both liked. Jack considered a liking of sport a necessity in any girlfriends he had. And he was also impressed with the way she hadn't made a fuss over Daniel spending time with them, and had in fact built a house out of Lego blocks; not too many women would be prepared to do that on a date.

He smiled at Sara and was about to ask her if she wanted a coffee when he heard Daniel start coughing loudly. When the sound didn't stop after a few seconds, Jack got worried and said, "Excuse me," to Sara before heading into Daniel's bedroom.

Daniel's face was red and he looked at Jack with frightened eyes as he continued to cough. He couldn't stop coughing, meaning that he couldn't breathe properly, and that scared him.

"It's okay, kiddo, you're okay, just calm down," Jack stated, a little afraid himself. He sat next to Daniel and rubbed his back, trying to project calm. The coughing shouldn't last for too long... should it? A memory stirred in the back of his mind of a similar time in his youth. How did he stop coughing then?

"Want Mom-my," Daniel managed to get out between coughs. She would know how to make this stop.

"I know," Jack sympathised; he could do with his mother's advice right now. "Pretend that she's right here, can you do that?" Maybe that would help.

As Daniel nodded, Sara came in holding a glass half full of water. "Will this help?" she asked Jack.

"I don't know." He took the glass of water and held it up to Daniel's mouth. "Here, try to take a few sips.

Daniel did so and it helped a little. Then Jack recalled the cure from his memory and reached for the packet of cough drops. He got one out of the silver packaging and gave it to Daniel. "Try sucking on this."

The little boy popped it into his mouth and started sucking. After a minute, the coughs eased off and Daniel found that he could breathe again. But now his eyes filled with tears and he hugged Thoth tightly to his chest. "I don't like this! I don't want to have a cold anymore."

"It doesn't work like that, Danny," Jack said as he handed the packet of cough drops to Sara so that he could hug his little brother.

"Thoth doesn't like it either." Daniel pulled Jack's head down and whispered, "He wet the bed."

"Oh." Figuring that Daniel would be embarrassed if Sara knew that, Jack turned to her and said, "Thanks for the water. Could you, uh, give us a few minutes privacy? Secret men's business," he added solemnly for Daniel's sake.

"Sure." Sara nodded her understanding and smiled at Daniel. "I should get going anyway." She didn't want to overstay her welcome if Jack needed to take care of his brother.

"Couldn't you stay for a little while longer? Have that coffee?" Jack suggested, thinking that Daniel would be alright now.

Sara only hesitated for a moment. "Okay. I'll go boil the water."

Once Sara had gone, Daniel continued in a quiet voice, "He didn't mean to."

"I know he didn't," Jack replied, helping Daniel out of bed. He should have made sure that Daniel had gone to the toilet before his nap; something to remember for next time. "Sometimes when you're coughing a lot, or are being sick, the muscles inside you can squeeze the thing that makes you want to... you know." He'd had some humiliating experience with that in Iraq.

"It's not his fault?" Daniel whispered, wanting to make sure.

"Nope. Just wait there for a sec." Jack went into the bathroom for a towel and washcloth, then came back and hunted out the pyjama bottoms and another pair of underwear. "Alright, let's get you and Thoth tidied up."

After Jack had helped his brother get clean and changed, Daniel helped Thoth do the same - well, get clean, at least. Then they stripped the bed, and Daniel carried the bottom sheet to the laundry while Jack cleaned the mattress. When that was finished, Jack gave Daniel some more cough medicine before they headed back into the living room where Sara was waiting, checking out the jigsaw puzzle.

She looked up as they entered, noting Daniel's change of clothes but keeping her conclusions to herself; there was no point in embarrassing the little boy. "Everything sorted out?"

"Yep." Jack sat down next to Sara, lifting Daniel to onto his lap.

"I'm not having a cold anymore," Daniel informed Sara as he leaned back against Jack's chest. He didn't like being sick. "I'm fine now." The statement would have carried more weight if he hadn't sneezed at the end of it.

"Sure you are," Jack agreed, his tone subtly amused. He could feel how fine Daniel wasn't by the way the kid was leaning against him. He looked over to Sara to share his amusement and then remembered about his offer. "Oh, the coffee!" he exclaimed, shifting Daniel onto the couch next to Sara.

After watching Jack disappear into the kitchen, Daniel decided to be brave and he scooted closer to Sara so that he could lean against her. "Have you ever had a cold?" he asked.

"I have at least one a year," Sara replied, smiling down at Daniel. "Sometimes they can be pretty bad and other times, it's just a runny nose or a bit of a cough. But they usually go away quickly." She could sympathise with how he felt at the moment.

"Do you like them, is that why you get a cold lots?" Daniel wanted to know, still not understanding the concept of not having a choice in catching a cold.

Sara laughed - a pretty sound that reminded Daniel of his mother, so he moved in closer. "No, Daniel," Sara said, "no-one likes having a cold but we don't have a choice most of the time."

"Why is it called a cold? Is it because it's cold outside? Can you get a hot?" Daniel asked what was, in his mind, a perfectly logical question.

_He is so cute,_ Sara thought to herself as she put an arm around Daniel's shoulders. "No, there's no such thing as 'a hot'. And I don't know why this is called a cold but people do tend to get it more in winter."

Jack came back just then with two cups of coffee. Sara took one with her free hand and placed it on the table to cool for a minute. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jack replied, sitting down on the other side of Daniel. When he had entered the room and seen the two of them sitting so close, he had been pleased that they were getting along so well, especially since if they liked each other, then that boded well for the relationship between him and Sara. "Daniel, how about you work on your jigsaw for a while?" he suggested.

"Okay." Daniel scooted forward so that he could reach the table and then he looked back at Jack. "Can I have some orange juice please?" All the coughing had made him thirsty.

"Sure." Jack went and got a small glass of juice for his brother. He put it on the table in a place where Daniel wouldn't be likely to knock it. Then he leaned back, coffee in hand, and said to Sara, "So where were we?"

"I was about to explain why my team will beat yours in the play-offs," Sara replied with a grin.

"What's the play-offs?" Daniel wanted to know, pausing in his drinking to ask the question.

"It's something that happens in some sports to decide who is the best team for the year," Sara explained to the little boy. "In this case, ice hockey."

"What's ice hockey?" was Daniel's next question.

"I'll take you to a game one day and show you," Jack promised, not wanting to get into lengthy explanations right now.

"Okay." Daniel accepted that and happily started working on his puzzle again.

Sara had raised her eyebrows at Jack's promise and now she took the opportunity to quietly ask him about it. "Don't you think it's a bit violent for him?"

Jack contemplated that; she had a good point. "Alright, we'll watch it on TV first." No good getting tickets if Daniel didn't like it.

They spent another twenty minutes sipping their coffees and talking while Daniel worked on his puzzle before Sara decided she really should go.

"How about we go out next Thursday?" Jack suggested as he walked Sara to the door. Since he would be away all weekend, that would be the best time for a date.

"Sure. Call me later with the details," Sara agreed. Then she turned to the little boy who had followed Jack. "Bye, Daniel. I had a great time today and I hope your cold gets better soon."

"Are you sure you don't want it?" Daniel questioned as he leaned against Jack's leg.

"I'm positive but thank you for the offer," Sara declined solemnly, hiding her amusement at the question.

"Jack, do you want it?" Daniel looked up at his big brother.

"No, but I have the feeling I'm going to end up with it anyway," Jack replied, hoping that he didn't get sick before the weekend. "Now say bye to Sara."

"Bye, Sara," Daniel said obediently and then went back to his jigsaw puzzle.

Jack used the opportunity while Daniel wasn't looking to give Sara a goodbye kiss that curled his toes. "I'll see you on Thursday," he murmured, fighting the urge to kiss her again while trying to quell his arousal.

"I'm looking forward to it." Sara smiled at him, her eyes telling him that she enjoyed that kiss as much as he had, before turning away to walk down the path.

Jack watched her go and then, with a sigh, shut the door and went to collect the coffee cups. It was so frustrating for his libido to have a kid in the house. If Daniel hadn't been there, Jack would have had Sara in bed by now. _Oh well_, he thought, _maybe it's for the best_; none of his other relationships had got very far after having sex.

Having cleaned up, Jack sat down next to Daniel, pleased to note that the kid's breathing had eased up from earlier. "So, did you enjoy the picnic?" he asked, resting one hand on Daniel's head.

"Yep! Can we do it again?" Daniel inquired, wanting not to have a cold next time.

"Sure." Jack waited for a few seconds and then casually asked, "Did you like Sara?"

"She laughs like Mommy," Daniel replied by way of an answer. "And she's pretty. She played Lego too."

When no more words were forthcoming, Jack realised that was all the praise for Sara that Daniel was going to give. "So you'd be okay if we sometimes did stuff with her, like picnics or maybe go to the park?"

"I s'pose." Daniel stopped doing his jigsaw and scooted closer to Jack again. "Will you still spend lots of time with me?" He needed to know that he was still the most important person in Jack's life.

"You betcha." Jack lifted Daniel into his lap and squeezed him gently. "There's no-one I would rather spend time with. But I like Sara and I want to spend time with her too." More and more time as he got to know her.

"Are you going to spend time with her again?" Daniel questioned, feeling a little more secure.

"Hopefully," Jack replied honestly. "But on Friday, you and I are going to the cabin in Minnesota to spend the whole weekend there, just the two of us." He knew that he had mentioned to Daniel that they would go when it was warmer but it just seemed like the right thing to do this weekend.

Daniel's face lit up as he looked up at his big brother. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Jack promised. He was rather looking forward to it despite the bad memories that the place invoked.

"Yeah!" Daniel bounced up and down on Jack's lap. That sounded like lots of fun! "Can I bring my toys?"

"Yep."

"My books?"

"Some of them," Jack agreed, thinking that if the weather was bad, Daniel would need to be kept occupied. "You can take your Legos too, and your crayons, and some other stuff too."

"Yeah!" Daniel bounced again, which triggered a short coughing fit. When it had finished, he snuggled up to Jack and whined, "Jack, it didn't go away!"

Jack couldn't help grinning at the kid's belief in the power of the mind. "It will go away soon but it might take a couple of days," he stated. "You have to be patient."

"Uncle Mehet used to say I don't have a patient bone in my body," Daniel shared. "How come I don't have one? Where is it s'posed to be? In here?" he questioned, lifting his right arm and almost hitting Jack in the face.

Gently pushing Daniel's arm back down, Jack replied, "There's no such thing as a 'patient bone', it's just an expression, like having ants in your pants. It means that you have to know everything right away and sometimes don't wait to find out the answers." The thought of Daniel actually believing there was a 'patient bone' that he was missing was amusing; kids took things so literally.

"Is that bad?" Daniel hoped not because he didn't think he could stop all the questions that wanted to bubble out of him sometimes.

"Some people think it is but I don't," Jack stated, half-truthfully. He didn't always like being barraged with questions but he shouldn't discourage Daniel from asking them. "I think it's good but if I'm really busy, or have a headache or something, then you'll have to remember not to ask too many questions."

"Okay," Daniel agreed; he didn't want Jack to get mad at him. That sorted out, he went back to his jigsaw puzzle, leaving Jack to entertain himself.

The rest of the day passed quickly. After dinner, they both watched some television, Jack gave Daniel a bath, and then he tucked the little boy into bed. He read Daniel a story as usual, gave him some more cough medicine, and then left the kid to go to sleep.

Because he was busy watching television in the living room, he didn't hear the visitor arrive in Daniel's bedroom.

"Hello."

Daniel opened sleepy eyes and looked up at the glowy woman standing next to his bed. "Hello. Are you an angel?"

The woman who sort of looked like his mommy smiled. "Some people call me that."

Daniel accepted that with the innocence of a child. "Then why don't you have wings?" he wanted to know as he sat up, Thoth held to his chest.

"Not all angels have wings," she replied, still smiling gently.

"Oh." He hadn't expected that. "Do my mommy and daddy have wings?"

"Yes, they do."

Daniel was glad about that because then they would look like the pictures Jack had drawn for him. "My name's Daniel. What's yours?"

The angel's smile grew larger. "My name is Oma."


	31. Chapter 31

I finally got this part finished! The ending wasn't quite what I had planned originally but events just seemed to call for it. Sorry about the cliffhanger endingthough :)

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**Part 31 - Daniel's New Friend/Learning about Christmas**

"Do you know my mommy and daddy?" Daniel asked next, taking it in his stride that he was sitting in his bedroom talking to an angel.

"Yes, I do," Oma replied. She had been keeping an eye on the Jacksons for a few years now, Daniel in particular, and had helped his parents to ascend. "They are very happy and are watching over you."

Daniel's lip trembled. "I want to see them." Why hadn't they come instead of Oma?

"That is not possible at the moment," Oma said gently. She was not used to dealing with beings so young but she had been informed by others from another reality that the boy was one to watch as he had a mind like no others - and a gift that even in other realities, he didn't know he had. She had taken it upon herself to perform this task so that Daniel would reach the potential he had elsewhere. "One day you will but not before you are ready."

"That's not fair. I want to see them," Daniel pouted. Then he sneezed and his train of thought shifted. "Can you make my cold go away?"

Oma shook her head. "I cannot interfere, I can only guide," she stated. She had a feeling, though, that Daniel would challenge that in years to come. "That is the rule."

"Don't like rules," Daniel said sullenly, crossing his arms.

Oma moved forward and rested her transparent hand on the top of Daniel's head. "When you get older, you will realise that rules are there for a reason," she stated. "But you will also learn which ones it is possible to bend for the greater good of humanity." Given the circumstances, this Daniel would not be able to directly influence galactic affairs for many years to come but it was still possible that he would play an important part. Only time would tell what that part would be.

"How do you bend rules?" Daniel had only ever heard of breaking them.

"You will learn." Oma drew back and smiled gently at him. "But for now, you must sleep."

"Uh-uh," Daniel stubbornly refused. He glared at the angel. "I want to see Mommy and Daddy first."

The beginnings of a frown appeared on Oma's face. Daniel should have laid down and closed his eyes at that suggestion. "That is not possible."

The intensity of Daniel's glare increased. "Then I'm not going to sleep."

"Daniel--"

"I want to see them _now_!" Daniel raised his voice to get his point across. The angel knew his parents and he didn't understand why she wouldn't bring them to him. "Why can't you get them to come here?"

Oma was slightly bewildered by Daniel's persistence and would have been more so if she hadn't already been informed of the stubbornness and tenacity of the adult. "It is against the rules," she reminded him.

"Will you get into trouble if you break the rules? Will you get a smack?" Daniel wanted to know, trying to put it into terms his four-year-old mind understood.

Reaching into her vast store of knowledge, Oma worked out what a 'smack' was. "No, I won't get a smack but something worse will happen if I don't obey the rules."

Daniel's eyes widened. What was worse than getting a smack? Maybe he shouldn't ask the angel lady to get his parents if it would get her into really big trouble.

"Danny?" Jack entered the room and turned on the light. He had heard his little brother's voice and wondered what the kid was up to. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oma," Daniel answered easily. "She's an angel. See?" He pointed to her.

Jack looked in that direction but saw nothing. He turned back to Daniel, unsure as to how to deal with this. Was he hallucinating? "Danny, I can't see anyone."

"But she's there," Daniel insisted. He glared at Oma. "Make Jack see you," he demanded.

"He is not ready to see me," Oma replied, having observed this Jack O'Neill over the past couple of weeks. It was not time to reveal the existence of the Ancients, not until the humans worked out how to use the Stargate and discovered the knowledge for themselves. Revealing herself to Daniel, however, was a special case.

"Yes, he is," Daniel argued. "You're ready to see her, aren't you, Jack?"

"Uh, sure," Jack agreed, not sure what he was getting himself into.

Oma shook her head. "No, he is not, Daniel. But in time he will be. For now, you are the only one who can see me."

"Why?" Daniel questioned immediately. "I want Jack to see you."

"Danny, it's okay. If she doesn't want me to see her, then that's fine," Jack stated. He had finally worked out what this was: Daniel had an imaginary friend. Not knowing quite how to deal with that, he decided he should just go along with it and ask Janet's advice tomorrow. "Now, you can tell me all about her in the morning but for now, you'd better go to sleep. You don't want to be tired when you go to day-care, do you?"

The little boy shook his head. He lay down and hugged Thoth to him. "Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight, Danny," Jack said, leaning over and kissing his brother's forehead. After a last look around the room - still no angel - he turned off the light and left the room.

"Goodnight, Oma," Daniel continued, waving to the angel lady, liking her even if she hadn't let his parents come to see him.

Oma smiled at him, making a mental note on how to deal with the boy next time. "Goodnight, Daniel. Sleep well." As soon as she saw Daniel's eyes close, she faded away, pleased with how the meeting had gone... well, mostly.

**Monday, 8th December**

Daniel was up bright and early the next morning, eager to fill Jack in on his visitor. As he sat opposite his older brother at the kitchen table, Daniel stated, "She didn't have any wings but she said Mommy and Daddy did but she wouldn't let me see them 'cos she said I wasn't ready yet just like she said you weren't ready to see her."

"Right," Jack commented as he tried to decipher that long sentence. "Did she say why _you_ were ready to see her?"

Daniel thought about that for a moment then shook his head. "I think she was going to 'cept you told me to go to sleep and then she disappeared. She was really glowy, Jack. Like an angel but no wings."

"So you said." For a moment, Jack wondered whether Daniel had seen Star Wars because this Oma sounded sort of like Obi-Wan Kenobi - the original one, that was. Then he remembered that Daniel hadn't even known what a movie was until a couple of weeks ago.

"And she made my cold go away," Daniel continued enthusiastically. "She put her hand on my head and pulled all the bad germs out." He demonstrated, bumping his glasses as he lifted his hand to his head. Then he sneezed three times in quick succession.

Jack couldn't help laughing at the timing of the sneezes. "Maybe she left a few germs in there."

"But it was s'posed to go away!" Daniel complained. He slumped dejectedly in his chair and crossed his arms, pouting at the injustice of still having a cold.

"At least you sound better this morning, so it must have gone away a bit," Jack pointed out. "Now, come on, eat up or we'll be late."

Daniel perked up a little at that; he wanted to go to day-care and tell Cassie and Robert all about Oma.

Day-care was lots of fun that day. His cold didn't bother him too much, and Cassie and Robert were suitably impressed by Daniel's new friend - even if Oma didn't show herself on command. And the parts were decided for the nativity play that the day-care centre put on every year, with the three friends each getting a part, which Jack found out about as soon as he saw Daniel.

"Jack!" Daniel came running over and launched himself into his big brother's arms. "Guess what? There's going to be a nativ-ty play soon and I'm going to be a wise man 'cos I'm the only one who can say 'frankincense', and Cassie's going to be Mary 'cos she's the oldest girl, and Robert's going to be a wise man too but Adam's only going to be a shepherd," he shared enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in his excitement.

"Wow, that's wonderful," Jack said, a big grin on his face. Interesting how Daniel could say 'frankincense' but not 'nativity'. "When is the play going to be?"

"Oh!" Daniel wriggled out of Jack's arms and ran over to his backpack. There, he retrieved a note and brought it back to his brother. "Can Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom come?" he asked, bouncing on his toes.

Jack scanned the note and saw that the play would be next Friday, and would coincide with Grandparents Day, which was convenient. "Yes, they can come, kiddo," he replied. He had been thinking of asking his grandparents down around Christmas time anyway so this would only be a few days earlier than he had planned. Besides which, Iris might be able to give him a few hints about good presents for Daniel.

"Yay!" Daniel hugged Jack hard, pleased that his new grandparents would be coming to see him.

Jack couldn't help but get caught up in Daniel's enthusiasm so he hugged the little boy back. "Now, you ready to go? The special chest is being delivered this afternoon, remember?"

"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed again and raced off to collect his backpack and coat. He had almost forgotten about the special chest where he was going to keep his parents belongings. Then he zoomed back to Jack. "I'm ready!"

Jack helped Daniel on with the coat and then held his little brother's hand. "Then let's go."

Daniel skipped along Jack as they went outside, talking a mile a minute. "Cassie says that Santa will be coming soon and that she's going to go see him at the store. Jack, who is Santa? Why does he visit the store? Cassie says he brings presents at Christmas instead of just Mommies and Daddies. Will he bring me presents too? Didn't he bring me anything before 'cos I was in Egypt? Can we go see him?"

Jack silently groaned; he was going to have a busy afternoon answering Daniel's questions. He got Daniel settled into the car and got into the driver's seat before he replied, "Santa Claus is a man who lives at the North Pole and he makes lots of toys to give to children at Christmas. He visits stores beforehand so he can see who's been naughty and who's been good, and you can also tell him what you want for Christmas. We'll go see him sometime next week after day-care and you can even get your photo taken with him."

Daniel's eyes widened. That sounded a bit scary but exciting at the same time. "How does he get all the toys to everyone?" was his next question.

"Santa has a special sleigh that's pulled by eight reindeer who can fly, and they can go really really fast so that they can visit everyone in one night," Jack explained.

"They can fly?" That was very impressive to Daniel. "What do reindeer look like? What's a sleigh?"

"I'll show you when we get home," Jack stated, hoping that somewhere in all his junk, he might be able to find a picture showing both things.

"Why does Santa live at the North Pole?" Daniel paused for a second. "Jack, where is the North Pole?"

"It's right up the top of the world, right in the middle of the Arctic. So it's very, very cold."

Daniel's nose crinkled as he thought about that. "Why does he want to live where it's cold? Why doesn't he want to live somewhere warm?" He couldn't understand why someone would choose to live somewhere cold. "He could live in Egypt!"

"It's not cold in his workshop," Jack made up, finding he didn't have the answers to all the questions Daniel wanted to know. "And he chose the North Pole so that people don't visit him every day. If he did that, he and the elves would never get any work done."

"Oh." Another pause. "Jack, what are elves?"

"Little people with pointy ears that help Santa make the toys," Jack went with the simple explanation.

"Is Santa a magic person?" Daniel thought he would have to be if he had things that could fly around the world in one night. "Is he like an angel?"

"Uh... yes, Santa is magical but no, he's not like an angel." Jack decided that was true enough. "He comes down the chimney into the living room, leaves presents under the Christmas tree, and then goes up the chimney again."

"Wow," Daniel breathed; that sounded like lots of fun. Then he thought of something Jack had said earlier. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Have I been good? Will he know that you smacked me? Will he give you presents too? Have you been good too?"

Which question to answer first! Might as well go in order. "Yes, you've been good, Danny. I don't think one smack counts as being naughty. No, Santa usually doesn't give grown-ups presents but I think I've been good anyway." Certainly, taking in his orphaned little brother would be considered a good act.

"Why doesn't he give grown-ups presents? That's not very fair," Daniel decided. "I'm going to ask Santa to give you something this year."

"You do that," Jack said, amused at the idea. He didn't know how Santa was going to fulfil that request though.

Daniel was quiet for awhile, absorbing all he had learnt about Santa and trying to decide what he would ask for. Not much - he didn't want to be greedy - but maybe some archaeological tools like his parents had. Anything else, he would have to think about some more. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Will Adam get presents from Santa?" Daniel inquired. "He's been naughty."

Oy, talk about a tricky question! Jack would love to say 'no' but he knew that Adam's parents would probably give him presents despite the boy's behaviour. "I think it will depend on how naughty he has been during the whole year," Jack said, hoping Daniel would buy the excuse.

Daniel pouted; that was totally unfair! "But he was mean to me!"

"I know that, but we don't know whether he is like that at home or if he's been naughty all year," Jack stated, trying to think of a way to steer the conversation onto something else.

"So you can be bad some of the time and still get presents?" Daniel asked, frowning at the concept. He didn't think that was very fair to those who were good all the time.

"Uh..." Jack couldn't think of an answer to that question and still keep Santa's credibility intact.

"Maybe 'cos Santa's magic, he can see into people's hearts 'cos Mommy told me some people have mean hearts and they like making trouble," Daniel answered his own question and nodded as if agreeing with himself. "So people who are mean sometimes prob'ly still have good hearts and Santa prob'ly sees the bad hearts and doesn't give those people anything." That satisfied his sense of rightness.

"Yeah, that's it," Jack agreed, taking the easy way out. No-one had warned him about the tricky questions kids could ask when he took Daniel in. _Someone should put out a manual with this stuff in it_, he thought.

When they arrived home a few minutes later, the delivery truck with the chest was just pulling up alongside the curb. Daniel's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands. "Is it here, Jack?"

"Yes, it's here." Jack got Daniel's belongings out of the car and then helped the little boy from the vehicle, making sure to hold his hand so that he didn't run off. "Hey, guys, I'll be with you in a minute!" he called out to the delivery men.

Daniel skipped alongside Jack all the way into the house. He was so excited to have a special place to put his parents things in his very own room that even had a table and chairs just for him. "Can I help put it in my room?" he questioned as he went with Jack into his bedroom.

"I think it might be a bit too heavy," Jack replied, depositing Daniel's backpack onto the bed and then lifted his little brother up there too. "Now, I have a special job for you. I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the boxes. Can you do that for me?"

After looking over at the three boxes that held the photo albums, Daniel nodded solemnly. He didn't want anything to happen to his parents things.

Ten minutes later, under Daniel's eagle-eyed supervision, the chest had been installed in the corner opposite the child's bed, underneath the window. Once he got the okay from Jack, Daniel eagerly - with assistance from his big brother - spent the next half hour putting photo albums and other special belongings into the chest.

When they were finished, Daniel leaned against Jack's leg, his big day making him sort of tired, and the photo albums making him sad. "Do you think Mommy and Daddy can see this?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sure they can." Jack picked Daniel up and let the little boy rest his head against his shoulder. "What do you want to do now, kiddo? Do you want to look through some of the albums?"

Daniel shook his head; he didn't want to be continue being tired and sad. And he didn't want to do any drawing or reading. "Can I watch the new movie?"

Jack checked his watch. "It's too close to dinner time," he stated. "How about we watch some 'Simpsons' together, and then after dinner we can watch some of your movie."

"Okay." Daniel didn't mind that because that meant that he could snuggle up to Jack and have some quiet time with his brother.

Five minutes into the show, though, there was a knock at the front door. Frowning because he didn't know who would be calling on him, Jack left Daniel on the couch and went to answer the door.

The man standing on the doorstep was in his mid-seventies with short white hair, and his face was lined from years of hard living. "Hello, Jack."

Great, just what he needed. Cursing himself for forgetting to call the social worker and tell her that he was keeping Daniel, Jack replied coolly, "Hello, Nick."


	32. Chapter 32

Thank you everyone for your feedback for the last part – they have been great incentive to keep writing! Thank you also for being so patient in waiting for the latest part. Some of you may be disappointed with what I've done but this is what wanted to be written.

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**Part 32 - Nick**

Nicholas Ballard looked at his eldest grandson and silently admitted to himself that maybe he deserved that cool welcome. He knew he hadn't been around much while Jack had been growing up, so wrapped up in his own career was he. And that had come to naught because he couldn't tell anyone about his greatest discovery. "I'm sorry I couldn't get back sooner. May I come in?" he asked in his accented voice.

Jack debated briefly over that but then Daniel's enthusiastic cry of, "Grandpa Nick!" made the decision for him. Much as Nick had never been much of a grandfather to him, that didn't mean that Jack should prevent Daniel from knowing him, no matter how much he wanted to protect the little boy from disappointment. "Sure." He stood back out of the way just as a little whirlwind ran past him to hug Nick's legs.

"Grandpa Nick!" Daniel was thrilled to see his grandfather, and his tiredness from earlier was gone. "Why are you here? Have you come to see me? I'm living with Jack now 'cos Mommy and Daddy are angels," he said matter-of-factly.

The way Daniel spoke about his dead parents almost brought a tear to Nick's eyes. Although he hadn't seen his daughter and youngest grandson much because of work, he still loved them very much, as he did Jack. The thought that his daughter had died before him, just like his wife, was one he was finding difficult to bear and he had believed that Daniel would also be struggling. To find the little boy so full of enthusiasm and so accepting of his parents' fate was hard to see. Still, he couldn't let the child know that. "Yes, Daniel, I have come to see you and Jack."

Daniel beamed. "Come see my room, Grandpa," he said, tugging on the old man's hand.

"Just a sec, Danny," Jack interrupted as he closed the door behind Nick, bringing the suitcase that had been sitting on the steps into the house. "Give Nick some time to recover. He's probably had a long trip to get here."

"Why don't you call him Grandpa Nick?" Daniel inquired, picking up on the omission.

Jack glanced at Nick, and the old man replied, "Because I told him not to. When I was younger, Grandpa made me sound so old."

Daniel wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Why?" Grandpa Nick _was_ old so what was the problem?

"Because I was stupid," Nick confessed, looking an apology at Jack. "I shouldn't have been so arrogant." Losing his only daughter had made him reassess a few things. That, and finding out that aliens really existed.

"No, you shouldn't have," Jack agreed, not yet willing to forgive what Nick had done. Granted, he had only denied Jack the chance of calling him Grandpa - which he was allowing Daniel to do - plus he hadn't been around much when Jack was growing up, but it still rankled. He picked Daniel up and carried him over to the couch, leaving Nick to follow.

Nick took a seat opposite his grandsons and smiled internally at the possessive hold Jack had on Daniel. Not that Nick had come to take Daniel away - after all, what would he do with a small child - but he had come prepared with a solution because he had thought that Jack wouldn't want to be a father. Well, maybe he still didn't so it wouldn't hurt to put forward the suggestion. Later, though, not while Jack was being hostile. "I'm sorry I missed the funeral."

"There wasn't one," Jack said briskly, not wanting to talk about the subject in front of Daniel. "So, where did you come from this time?"

"Belize," Nick replied.

Daniel thought that sounded very exciting. "Where's that? Did you find anything? Are you going to have an ex-hib-ti-shon?"

Nick shook his head sadly. "No, Daniel, I am not going to have an exhibition. I only found one important piece and it will go to one of the bigger museums so they can display it." It wasn't worth keeping it around; he couldn't make it work again, and therefore no-one would ever believe it could do anything out of the ordinary. No-one except maybe Daniel.

"Can we see it?" Daniel asked next.

"Maybe one day, yes," Nick replied. Maybe Daniel, when he got older, could figure out how to make it work again.

Daniel wriggled out of Jack's hold and went over to climb onto his grandfather's lap. He put his arms around Nick and gave him a hug, sensing that he was sad. "It's okay, Grandpa. The next dig will be even better."

"I don't know if there will even be another dig, Daniel. I'm getting too old for this." Given that he had celebrated his seventieth birthday only a few years ago, maybe it was time to retire from archaeology.

"But you have to keep discov'ring things 'cos I'm too little to do it," Daniel protested the idea. "And when I get bigger, I can come with you and we'll discover lots of things, and I'll know lots of languages and translate writing and stuff, and we'll tell those meanies that Daddy wasn't silly 'bout the pyramids being older than what everyone says they are."

Nick couldn't help smiling at the long-winded sentence. "And how many languages do you know now?"

"Three and a little bit," Daniel said proudly, holding up three fingers and bent his little finger to indicate 'a bit'. "English and Arabic and Ancient Egyptian and a little bit of Dutch."

"Well, aren't you a clever one?" Nick was most impressed. "You know, your mother learnt Dutch when she was your age so that she could talk to me in my first language."

"Uh-huh," Daniel nodded as he replied. "She teached me too 'cept she can't now so can you teach me, Grandpa Nick?"

Jack saw in Nick's eyes what the answer would be and he gritted his teeth in anger. So Nick wasn't going to be bothered hanging around for Daniel either; that sounded typical of the selfish old man. Not wanting to show his anger in front of Daniel though, Jack stood up. "I'll go get dinner ready."

Nick watched Jack go, anger evident in the young man's posture, and sighed; if only he knew how to apologise for not being the grandfather he should have been all those years ago.

"Grandpa?" Daniel wanted an answer to his question.

"I'm sorry, Daniel, I won't be able to teach you. I'm only here for a few days," Nick replied.

"But you said you weren't going on another dig," Daniel protested, pouting. "So you can stay with me and Jack, and you can teach me Dutch and how to be an archaeol'gist and everything."

Somehow, Nick didn't think that Jack would approve of Daniel's suggestion. He squeezed the little boy gently and then stated, "There is still plenty of work to be done, Daniel. The site must be properly closed down, and all the artifacts catalogued and distributed to the places where they can be studied or displayed. I wish I could stay but I cannot. I just came for a visit, to see whether you enjoyed living with your brother. Do you like living with Jack?"

"Uh-huh," Daniel nodded emphatically, almost losing his glasses in the process. He pushed them back into place and then continued, "Jack reads me lots of stories, and we have ice-cream, and he took me to the zoo, and he brought me jigsaws too, see?" Daniel pointed to the puzzle that was partially done on the living room table.

"It sounds like he's taking very good care of you," Nick commented; that was good to hear.

"When I fell over, he fixed my ouchies," Daniel agreed, holding up his hands so that his grandfather could see the scars - not that there was much to see since the incident had been over a week ago. "And he even kissed them to make them better. Can I show you my room now?"

"I would love to see your room," Nick replied. He shifted Daniel off his lap and then he stood up so that he could follow his young grandson further into the house. As they walked past the kitchen, Nick could feel Jack's eyes on him; it wasn't a comfortable feeling. He pushed that to the back of his mind though as he entered Daniel's bedroom and saw what Jack had done for the little boy in the past two weeks. Posters, a child-sized table and chairs, a small bookcase were good indications that Daniel was here to stay but the most telling thing was the height chart. Why buy that for Daniel and put it up in his room if he wasn't going to stay? No, Nick decided, Jack was going to raise Daniel, which was definitely for the best.

Daniel didn't run out of steam until Jack called out that it was dinnertime, and even then the little boy had enough energy to run into the kitchen and sit in his normal place at the table. "I showed Grandpa Nick my room, Jack," he informed his big brother.

"That's nice." Half an hour after the time they usually had dinner, Jack served up three meals - Daniel's portion significantly smaller than his or Nick's - and then poured a glass of milk for the kid. Turning his head, he saw Nick standing near the table, as if uncertain that he would be allowed to sit down. As he put the milk in front of Daniel, Jack opened his mouth to say something but was beaten to it by his brother.

"Sit down, Grandpa! We're having sausages and ice-cream," Daniel shared enthusiastically. He swung his legs back and forth as the old man sat down in one of the empty chairs. "We always have ice-cream after dinner unless we're having cake or cookies."

Nick raised his eyebrows; that didn't exactly sound like a healthy habit. "What else does Jack make for dinner?"

"Pizza and spak... spag... Jack, what's the long things called?" Daniel appealed for help.

"Spaghetti," Jack replied, keeping his anger at Nick's question under control. He could be overreacting but it sounded like Nick didn't approve of what he was feeding Daniel. "And don't forget all the vegetables," he prompted his little brother.

"Oh! We have peas and carrots and potatoes and other stuff but not pup-kin 'cos it's yucky," Daniel recited, screwing up his nose at the last item. "Do you like pup-kin, Grandpa Nick?"

Jack put the plates of food on the table and sat down, saying, "That's enough for now, Daniel. Let Nick eat his dinner."

"But I got lots to tell him!" Daniel protested.

"You can still tell him things but don't ask lots of questions, okay?" The reason Jack didn't want that was twofold: he knew what it was like trying to eat when Daniel was constantly asking questions; and he didn't want Daniel to ask anything where the answer might hurt him.

"Okay," Daniel agreed.

Dinner took a little longer than usual as Daniel took the opportunity to tell his grandfather about everything he could think of, and Jack had to keep reminding him to eat. By the end of dinner though, Daniel was starting to tire. Jack cleared the dishes away and then picked his little brother up. "I think it's time for a bath, kiddo."

"But I don't want one!" Daniel protested, knowing that after the bath he would have to go to bed. He followed up his protest with a huge yawn.

"I know," Jack rubbed Daniel's back to calm him down.

"You said we would watch my movie after dinner," Daniel continued, trying not to let his head rest on Jack's shoulder but not succeeding.

"Well, maybe you could watch it tomorrow when Cassie comes over," Jack compromised.

"What about Grandpa Nick?" Daniel questioned, turning his head to see the old man still at the kitchen table. "He came to see me and what if he has to go away again?"

Jack looked at Nick, silently asking him for an answer.

Nick carefully stood - age had slowed his body - and went to stand in front of Daniel. "I don't have to leave until Wednesday, Daniel."

That was okay then but it raised new questions for the little boy. "Are you going to stay with us? Jack, where is he going to sleep? Where is the big bed that was in my room?"

Sighing, Jack realised that he couldn't exactly _not_ offer Nick a place to stay or Daniel would never forgive him. "It's out in the garage. But how about if Nick sleeps in your bed and you sleep with me for a couple of nights?" When Daniel's eyes lit up, Jack felt he had made the right decision.

"Thank you, Jack." Daniel hugged him around the neck; Jack was the best brother ever. "Can Grandpa Nick tell me a story tonight?"

"Sure, why not?" And then, after Daniel had been put to bed, Jack would find out exactly why Nick had come.

"Can you tell me a story about Santa Claus?" Daniel asked his grandfather, who was trailing after them into the bathroom.

"I think I can manage that," Nick replied. When Jack put Daniel down to start running the water in the bath, Nick went over to offer his assistance in the task of undressing. "Do you need any help, Daniel?"

"Uh-uh, I'm a big boy," Daniel stated, puffing out his chest proudly. Then he tried to get his sweater over his head and got stuck. "Grandpa!"

Nick chuckled as he assisted Daniel out of the sweater. He was aware of Jack's eyes on him, still assessing, but he ignored that, not wanting to spoil this time with his youngest grandson. "How's that?"

"Good!"

As Daniel continued to get undressed, Jack went into his brother's bedroom and collected the blue pyjamas. He briefly contemplated shifting the mattress protector into his room as he wasn't sure whether Daniel would have another nightmare tonight and wet the bed, but decided he would have to risk it. He went back in to find Daniel wrapped in a towel to keep him warm until the bath was ready. "Do you want your toys tonight, kiddo?"

Daniel pursed his lips in thought. He was kind of tired so maybe... He shook his head.

"Okay." Jack turned the taps off, checked the water, and then put Daniel into the bath - minus the towel. "Just a quick bath tonight then." That suited him because then he would be able to find out what Nick was up to.

When Daniel had been washed, dried and dressed in his pyjamas, Jack carried him into the main bedroom - after making a detour to collect Thoth - and put him in the big bed. Nick followed and then sat down next to Daniel when Jack moved away. "So, would you like your story now, young Daniel?"

"Yes, please." Daniel cuddled Thoth and curled up, ready to listen to his grandfather tell a tale.

"Santa Claus, or Sinterklaas in Dutch, started off as a young boy like you," Nick began, deciding to leave out the part of the tale where young child was orphaned. "His name was Nicholas, and he lived in Finland, which is a very cold country. When he was young, he liked making wooden toys for other children in the village, so when he was old enough, he became an apprentice to the local Woodcarver."

"What's a 'prentice?" Daniel interrupted curiously.

"It is a young person who learns a skill from an older person," Nick explained, not minding the interruption to his story. "Nicholas learnt a lot about building furniture from the Woodcarver but he never stopped making toys for the children, and eventually the Woodcarver helped him. Because it snowed a lot in wintertime, Nicholas used to deliver the toys on Christmas Day on a sleigh. Now one day, he had to make a delivery to a place far away and wouldn't be able to deliver the toys on the right day. This disappointed him until the Woodcarver suggested that he put the toys on the doorsteps of each house after the children had gone to bed, and so Nicholas did so. This soon became a tradition that was repeated every year, and in some countries even today, this is how children receive their Christmas presents."

Daniel nodded gravely; he understood traditions.

"As time passed, and the village grew, Nicholas didn't always know which houses had children in them so the parents would leave an embroidered bag outside on Christmas Eve so Nicholas knew to leave toys there. Now once, there was a little boy whose family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to have a bag like that. So that little boy got the idea to hang a sock on the front door, which was where the tradition of Christmas stockings came from."

"Was he a good boy? Did he get any toys?" Daniel asked, hoping that the boy had.

"Of course," Nick said with a smile. "Nicholas always gave every child something whether they were poor or rich."

"That's good." Santa Claus sounded like a very nice person to Daniel.

Jack, who was sitting at the end of the bed, hid a smile of pride at Daniel being concerned about the boy getting a present; his little brother seemed to have such a loving heart.

"A while after that, Nicholas decided that he needed some new clothes. He saw one of the rich men in the village wearing a red deerskin suit and he thought that something like that would be nice. So he asked the local dressmaker if she could create a suit like that for him, and she said yes. She made it from homespun cloth and dyed it red, and then trimmed it with fur around the edges. But because it was too big, Nicholas needed a belt to hold it up until he could put on enough weight so that it fitted."

"And created a big belly that shakes when he laughs like a big bowl of jelly," Jack murmured, remembering part of the 'Twas the Night before Christmas' story.

"Exactly," Nick stated, grinning at his grandson. He had told that story to Jack many years ago and was glad that the young man remembered it.

"Can you make your belly shake, Grandpa?" Daniel wanted to know, ever curious about things like that. Then he looked down at his tummy, trying to work out whether it would shake also.

The little boy's intent gazing at his stomach coaxed a chuckle out of the old man. "I don't think so, Daniel."

Losing interest quickly, Daniel changed the subject, remembering something Jack had mentioned earlier in the day. "When do the reindeer arrive?" he asked, yawning loudly at the end.

"Not too long after. Nicholas's poor donkey was getting old, so he bought eight reindeer from the rich man with the red suit and trained them to pull the sleigh." Nick watched Daniel's eyelids flutter closed and remain that way, then he looked up to exchange a glance with Jack.

"How about you finish the story tomorrow night?" Jack suggested, moving to tuck Daniel in. He leaned over and kissed his brother's forehead. "Goodnight, Danny."

"Not tired," Daniel said, trying to briefly fight sleep. He wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"Yes, you are," Jack contradicted. "So say goodnight to Nick."

"Night, Grandpa. Night, Jack," Daniel said obediently, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He curled up with Thoth and went straight to sleep, a happy little boy.

Jack watched his brother sleep for a few seconds and then stood up. "We need to talk," he said quietly to his grandfather before switching on the nightlight and leaving the bedroom.

Nick sighed; this did not sound promising. He followed Jack back to the living room and sat in one of the chairs opposite the couch. "What do you wish to talk about?"

"Why are you really here?" Jack questioned, not beating around the bush. "Are you here to take Daniel away?"

"No," Nick replied. "I cannot look after him, nor would it be fair to him."

"Then...?" Jack prompted, his suspicions not completely allayed by the news.

"I came to see if you planned to keep him and if you did not, then I know of a childless couple who would be interested in taking him," Nick stated. "I have worked with Mike Peterson for years - he is a doctor of archaeology - and his wife is a teacher. They love children and would give Daniel a good home."

"No," Jack stated firmly. A week ago, he might have wavered and sent Daniel away but now, he just couldn't. "Daniel is staying with me."

Nick nodded; he had thought as much but he had to try for the Petersons sake. "Have you thought about where to send Daniel to school? About how you will develop his gift for languages?"

"That's none of your business," Jack snapped, the questions hitting a nerve. "I may not be a teacher or a doctor of anything but I can provide Daniel with what he needs." Like love and a stable home.

"But what happens if your Air Force sends you away? You cannot take Daniel with you," Nick inquired.

"Then I'll put in for reassignment," Jack retorted. "As a single parent, I can do that." At least, he hoped he could.

"Would you give up the Air Force if they would not allow reassignment?" Nick was curious as to how much Jack had come to love Daniel over the past couple of weeks.

Jack hesitated; he hadn't really thought about that. But he remembered what his cousin Sophie had said about taking assignments that meant he would come home to Daniel. He didn't want the little boy to go to a family that didn't know him. "If the assignment was dangerous then yes, I would give up the Air Force."

That was good, Nick felt, and it showed that Jack was more suited to raising a child than he ever was. "Then I will tell the Petersons that Daniel is unavailable."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Just like that?" He couldn't believe his grandfather had given in so easily.

"Just like that," Nick agreed, seeing the suspicion in Jack's eyes. "Daniel obviously loves being here with you so I will not go against his wishes. But you will need to nurture his gifts so that he will be able to become anything he wants to be." And if Daniel followed in his footsteps and became an archaeologist, then Nick would be so proud.

"I will." Jack bristled, resenting the implication that he wasn't already doing that.

Nick sighed; he had hoped that Jack wouldn't hate him so much if he saw that he wasn't going to take Daniel away. "I'm sorry, Jack. I should have been more of a grandfather to you."

"Yes, you should have," Jack agreed. "But it didn't matter. I had two other grandparents who weren't afraid of showing their affection." He tried to say that without sounding bitter but he realised as he spoke that he had never quite forgiven Nick for not being a proper grandfather and for not being there when Claire had split from her husband. "And they'll be great grandparents to Daniel as well, so don't feel that you have to keep in touch."

"You would deny me the chance to know my youngest grandson?" Nick inquired, trying to sense whether Jack really meant that or whether it was just the hurt talking.

"You're going to be halfway across the world anyway, what chance would Daniel have to getting to know you?" Jack shot back. "If you want to be a grandfather, you're going to have to do more than just send the occasional birthday or Christmas card, you're going to have to be here for him. But if you can't be bothered to do that, then you should just stay out of Daniel's life. In fact, you probably shouldn't have come here at all."

Nick tried not to take offence at that, realising that Jack was just lashing out at him. But there was a grain of truth in Jack's words and Nick acknowledged that. "As I told Daniel earlier, I may not go on any more digs. What I found..." he trailed off and sighed. If only he could tell Jack about the crystal skull. "I almost didn't make it out when the temple collapsed. And it occurred to me that I'm just getting too old for this kind of life."

Jack lost some of his anger when he realised that Nick had almost died. He would have hated telling Daniel that he had lost another member of his family. "I... I didn't know that. Were you injured?"

"Only my pride," Nick stated, hanging his head. "I thought I could keep up with the young ones. But it is becoming clear that I am simply too old, too... likely to go on wild goose chases," he admitted. It was increasingly hard to get anyone to fund his ventures. So many things he had wanted to find, such as the Fountain of Youth, but had escaped him. He would hand over all his journals to Daniel in the hopes that the young boy would eventually be able to find what he couldn't.

Jack found himself feeling sorry for Nick. The man looked so old at the prospect of being unable to go exploring any more. "What will you do?" he asked, his tone more sympathetic than before.

"I don't know." He couldn't imagine doing anything other than archaeology, especially when there could be more artifacts that lead to places not on this Earth.

Unable to think of anything to say, Jack went to the kitchen and got two beers from the fridge. Then he came back and silently offered one to Nick. After the old man took it, Jack sat down, opened his own beer and then they both drank quietly for some time, each lost in their own thoughts.


	33. Chapter 33

Yay, I got it done in less than a month! The rest of the Santa story isn't in there (it should be in the next one) but I hope there's still plenty to keep everyone entertained. There's some angst, and some mangling of the English language (by Daniel, of all people). Oh, and Jack does some backsliding. And the comment made about cats is one I borrowed from a five-year-old student of mine who was telling me about his cat the other day :)

Anyway, please enjoy :)

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Part 33 - Trouble on the Homefront/Cassie's Visit 

After awhile, Jack turned the television on, finding a sports channel that didn't require a great deal of concentration. He made sure the sound wasn't going to disturb Daniel and then settled back to watch, his nearly empty beer bottle in his hand.

Nick hung his head; it was clear that Jack didn't want to do any more talking. He had made a mistake in not seeing his grandson more often during those formative years and now he was reaping the consequences. To be fair to himself, he didn't have any idea that Jack would resent him for not being around much, and other children coped without seeing their grandparents. Why did Jack hate him? Was there something that had happened that he didn't know about?

The old man slowly stood. "Well, I'd better get some sleep. Air travel isn't as comfortable as it once was," Nick commented, referring to how he felt things more as he got older.

"Right. Goodnight then." Jack didn't take his eyes away from the television. However, he saw out of the corner of his eye when Nick hesitated before leaving without saying another word. That made Jack feel petty and he tilted his head to rest on the back of the couch. He was a grown man; why was he playing these games with a grandfather whom he may never see again? With a sigh, Jack got up, went to fetch a spare towel and face washer, put them in the bathroom where Nick would see them, and then went to check on Daniel, who was sleeping soundly, Thoth cuddled tightly against his chest. Life was so uncomplicated for Daniel, Jack mused; he didn't understand grown-up problems.

Jack pressed a kiss to his little brother's forehead and then went back to the living room to mindlessly watch television.

Waiting until after he heard Jack's footsteps stop, Nick went into the other bedroom and sat down next to his youngest grandchild. "I hope that you don't grow up to hate me," he murmured, looking down at the angelic face. He had so much hope for Daniel, something that Jack would not understand, but he knew that he probably wouldn't see whether the little boy fulfilled those dreams. That was why he was seriously considering retirement so that he could settle down here in Colorado Springs and help Daniel on the way to becoming the world's best archaeologist, one who could discover what no-one had ever been able to. Nick knew that Jack would oppose this but he hoped that the young man would someday see that this was the best for Daniel.

"Goodnight, little one," he whispered, gently brushing the shaggy blonde hair away from Daniel's face. He would set the boy upon the right path tomorrow.

**Tuesday, 9th December**

Jack awoke with the teddy bear on his face again. He carefully pushed it aside, quietly spat out the little bit of fur that had found its way into his mouth, and then slowly got out of bed so as not to wake Daniel up. Noting that his little brother was still sound asleep, his mouth open slightly to help him breath, Jack went into the bathroom, had a quick shower and shave, and then came back to get dressed. By the time he had put a sweater on, Daniel was starting to stir. Seeing that it was nearly 0645 - he needed an hour to get the kid ready - Jack went over to the bed and crouched down beside it. "Morning, kiddo," he said softly.

"J'ck?" came the sleepy response.

"Yep. Time to get up." Jack watched with some amusement as Daniel's eyes fluttered open several ties before staying open. "You awake?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel stretched his little limbs, flinging Thoth out to the side so that the teddy almost hit Jack. When he woke up a little more, he remembered that he wasn't in his own bed. "Is Grandpa Nick awake yet?"

"Not as far as I know and no, you can't go wake him up," Jack said, catching the little boy before he could scramble out of bed. "We'll go and have breakfast, and let Nick have a sleep-in, okay?" He hoisted Daniel onto his hip.

Daniel nodded, agreeing with the plan as he was always hungry when he woke up. "You should call him Grandpa 'cos he's older now," he reprimanded his brother as he and Thoth were carried out to the kitchen.

"Yeah, well, old habits are hard to break," Jack replied, putting Daniel down on his usual chair. He then got the Froot Loops out of the cupboard and started getting breakfast ready.

"Can Grandpa come with me to day-care today?" Daniel inquired eagerly. He could take his grandfather for show-and-tell, and Nick could tell the others lots of stories.

"I don't think that's allowed," Jack responded, putting a bowl of cereal in front of Daniel. "Nick will just have to stay here today."

"But he'll get lonely," Daniel protested.

"He'll be fine," Jack disagreed, hoping that Nick would find enough to occupy him without snooping around the house. "I'm sure he has lots of stuff to do. Now eat up."

Pouting, Daniel obeyed but his mind was busy working out a way to take his grandfather to day-care. Maybe Grandpa could sneak into the car and then Jack would have to let him stay at day-care instead of driving him home again. Yes, that was it! Daniel grinned at the brilliance of his plan, not giving any thought as to _how_ his grandfather would sneak into the car.

"What are you grinning about?" Jack asked suspiciously, wondering what his little brother was up to.

"Nothing," Daniel lied, trying hard not to giggle at the thought of tricking Jack. "Has Grandpa Nick sleeped enough? Can I wake him up?" he asked, finishing off the last of his milk.

Jack nodded, seeing that Daniel had finished his breakfast. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes to help you get dressed," he added as Daniel ran out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure, you betcha," Daniel called back as he scooted into his bedroom.

Jack shook his head; what was the kid up to?

In the bedroom, Daniel found that his grandfather was already awake. Pleased as punch, Daniel whispered loudly, "Good morning, Grandpa. You have to be quiet. Jack says I can't take you to day-care but if you sneak into the car then he won't know and you can come with me!"

Nick was glad that he had woken up a few minutes earlier or he would have been totally confused by Daniel's ramblings. He shook his head in amusement. "I don't think that will work, young Daniel. Jack is an observant young man." Nick didn't know that for sure but given that his grandson was in the military, it was a likely assumption.

"What's that mean?" Daniel inquired, crawling onto the bed, Thoth still gripped in one hand.

"It means that he sees lots of things even if you think he's not looking," Nick explained.

"Oooh." Daniel didn't think that sounded good. "Then how are you going to come to day-care with me?"

"I was rather hoping that you could stay at home with me," Nick replied. He wanted to spend more time with his youngest grandson and test his potential.

"Yay!" Daniel thought that was a wonderful idea. He slid off the bed and went back to the kitchen where Jack was drinking his coffee. "I'm staying home with Grandpa today," he announced before running back to his room.

"Oh no, you're not," Jack muttered, putting his coffee down and heading after his little brother. He found Daniel bouncing on his knees on the single bed. "You're not staying home," he repeated.

"But Jack..." Daniel started to protest.

"But nothing. You're going to day-care," Jack said firmly. He was not letting Daniel stay alone with Nick.

"Why can't he miss one day?" Nick wanted to know, then wished he hadn't inquired when Jack glared at him.

"Because he has a friend coming over this afternoon and if he doesn't go, then she can't come here," Jack replied before turning back to his brother. "Don't you want Cassie to come today?"

Daniel's lower lip trembled. He wanted to spend time with both of them, and Jack was speaking in a mean voice. "That's not fair."

"Maybe not but you made a promise to Cassie that she could come over and it's not nice to break promises." Jack knew that he was being harsh but Nick's assumption that he could disrupt their routine annoyed him and unfortunately, he was taking out on Daniel.

He _did_ want Cassie to come and play so Daniel sniffed, then looked at the old man. "I'm sorry, Grandpa, I can't stay with you."

"That's alright, Daniel." Nick patted the boy's back, unused to showing affection. "We can spend some time together later." _When I convince your brother it's safe to do so,_ Nick thought.

"Exactly," Jack agreed, wanting to be there to supervise. He lifted Daniel into his arms and then started picking out the clothes for the little boy to wear. "Besides, I'm sure Nick will be able to find plenty of things to do."

Tears in his eyes, Daniel looked over Jack's shoulder. "Will you, Grandpa?"

"I have a few things I can do," Nick replied, thinking it would be an ideal time to start looking for somewhere to live and arranging for someone to pack up his dig in Belize.

"You can have Thoth so you don't get lonely," Daniel unselfishly offered, holding the teddy out for his grandfather.

Nick smiled and accepted the offer, taking the teddy from Daniel's hand. "I would like that very much," he said and was delighted to see the young boy look pleased. "I will look after him too."

Daniel was comforted by that promise. He let Jack put him down and then assisted in getting himself dressed. "Cassie is one of my bestest friends," Daniel explained to his grandfather. "So's Robert. He's got glasses just like me 'cos his eyes are all blurry. And he's got a cat that's half a kitten, half a cat, and his Mommy took it to the vet so that when it's a whole cat, it won't have more kittens," he recited.

Part of Jack's bad mood dissipated with the amusing phrase. 'When it's a whole cat'? That was an interesting way of saying 'grown up'. He wondered whether Daniel thought of human adults as 'whole people'.

"Robert says that a vet is a doctor for animals and they do op'rations and everything," Daniel continued after a brief pause to put his sweater on. "He says he's going to be a vet when he's big or a fist-cyst like his Daddy. He says he's 'lergic to dogs so maybe he'll have to be a fist-cyst, right, Jack?"

"Right," Jack echoed, still trying to interpret 'fist-cyst'. Oh - physicist. Robert was Doctor Rothman's son, and the older man was a scientist attached to Cheyenne Mountain in trying to figure out how the Doorway worked.

"I'm not 'lergic to dogs or cats or camels but I am 'lergic to flowers," Daniel informed his grandfather as Jack brushed his hair. "I rided lots of camels in Egypt!"

"Rode," Nick corrected him. "You rode lots of camels."

Daniel's face scrunched up in confusion. "That's silly, Grandpa. A road is what people travel on."

"Not that kind of road, Daniel. It sounds the same but it's a different word and it means the same as 'ride' only it is used after the ride has happened," Nick explained.

"Alright, let's not get into this now," Jack said, ushering Daniel out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom. "Come on, kiddo, we've got to get you ready for day-care."

Nick sighed as the two of them left, Daniel happily chatting away about silly words that sounded the same. It seemed that the talk he'd had with Jack last night hadn't dented that dislike any. Nick slowly got up and then dressed, anticipating that Daniel may come back in soon. What more could he do to change Jack's opinion of him?

Sometime later - after Daniel was ready and had gone back to chat to Nick as the old man was having breakfast - Jack herded his little brother towards the door. Nick followed them out and watched as Jack patiently tied Daniel's shoelaces.

"Feel free to help yourself to anything that's in the refrigerator or cupboards for lunch," Jack was instructing his grandfather. "There's some photo albums in the chest in Daniel's room if you want to look through those. There are a few books around the place, and you can watch some tv if you want."

"Have you got Thoth?" Daniel queried, looking up at the old man.

"Right here." Nick showed the boy that he held the teddy in one hand.

"Good. That means you won't get lonely and we'll be back soon and you'll meet Cassie and you can tell us lots of stories," Daniel informed his grandfather. Then he went over and hugged Nick's leg. "Love you, Grandpa."

Nick cleared his throat; the words weren't easy for him to say but the hopeful expression on the child's face meant that he made an effort. "I love you too, Daniel." He looked up at his older grandson. "And you as well, Jack. Never doubt that."

_Yeah, right_, Jack thought as he opened the front door and ushered Daniel out. "We'll be back soon after four. If you need anything, just call the base, the number's by the phone."

Nick didn't get a chance to reply as Jack was off down the front path, pulling Daniel along behind him. The little boy turned and waved, a cheery smile on his face, and Nick waved back. Daniel was such a loving child, so like Claire when she was young. The old man closed the front door and went into Daniel's bedroom to search out the photo albums. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet; he had plenty of time to reminisce before starting on his goals for the day.

Before going into the Mountain, Jack had met up with Janet and put Cassie's booster seat in his car so that when he went to pick up the kids later, he was all prepared. Now, with two very excited youngsters chatting away in the back seat, Jack was starting to have second thoughts about his offer. He had a hard enough time keeping up with Daniel; he hoped that two children didn't multiply the degree of difficulty in looking after them!

Upon entering the house, Daniel took Cassie off to see his room, leaving Jack standing at the entranceway, wondering whether he should go after them. No, he decided; might as well use the quiet time to read the paper.

He found Nick already in the kitchen reading the paper, the old man jotting the occasional thing down on a piece of paper nearby. "Whatcha doing?"

"Finding somewhere to live," Nick replied without taking his eyes off the paper.

"What?" Jack hoped that Nick wasn't thinking what he thought the old man was thinking.

"It's time I retired, Jack." Nick put down his pen and stared seriously at his grandson. He didn't get an opportunity to say anything more though before Daniel bounded back into the room, having forgotten to say hello.

"Grandpa!" Daniel went over to hug his grandfather. "This is Cassie. Cassie, this is Grandpa Nick. He's an archaeol'gist too and has been to lots of countries and found lots of arty-facts," the little boy proudly stated.

"Oooh." Cassie was suitably impressed.

"He's going to tell us lots of stories later," Daniel continued before giving his grandfather another hug. "Bye, Grandpa. We're going to play now." And off he ran, Cassie in tow.

Nick chuckled in amusement. "He certainly has a lot of energy," he commented, not the least offended that Daniel didn't want to 'play' with him; Nick wasn't sure he would be able to keep up.

"Tell me about it," Jack commented dryly as he sat down opposite the old man. "So, what's this about retiring?"

Nick sighed. He had given a lot of thought to his future over the past eight hours and had come to a decision. He had missed seeing much of Claire's early years, always going on excavations instead of spending time with his family, and the same was true for Jack's childhood. Nick knew that he didn't have too many years left and he wanted to see his youngest grandson, the one who was most like him, on a regular basis. Yes, he would miss going on digs and the thrill of discovery but he believed that he could live with those losses. "I will be moving to Colorado Springs as soon as I can find somewhere to live."

Jack leaned back in his chair, skeptical at this change of heart. "Let me guess, you're getting old and you now want to act like a grandfather."

"Is that so wrong?" Nick questioned. "I have already apologised for missing out on your childhood, Jack, but I doubt I will have the opportunity if I miss Daniel's. So I am going to remain here and help raise Daniel as his parents would have wanted."

"You have no idea how they would want Daniel to be raised," Jack scoffed derisively. "In fact, I bet you hardly have any idea on how to even raise a kid seeing as you weren't even there for your own."

Nick hung his head briefly, acknowledging the accurate barb. Then he looked directly at Jack. "I will likely make mistakes, as you have done, but that is a part of parenthood. I truly regret my choices but I do not believe that Claire suffered for them."

"No, she only rushed off and married practically the first guy she met without any advice from her parents because you were too busy grieving Grandma's death in some far corner of the world, and you didn't even bother to find out that the guy she married was an alcoholic with a violent temper."

Jack's words hung in the air, the anger behind them shocking Nick to the core. He hadn't been aware that John O'Neill was a violent man, although now that he knew, some of Jack's anger towards him made sense.

"Jack, we forgot the milk!" Daniel interrupted, rushing back into the kitchen. He came to an abrupt stop, however, when he sensed the tension in the room. "Jack?" he said in a much quieter voice.

"Sorry, Danny. Two chocolate milks coming up." Jack ruffled his brother's hair and then stood, forcing the anger out of his body so that Daniel wouldn't get upset. "Why don't you take Cassie into the living room and show her your puzzle? I'll bring the milks in soon."

Daniel looked from Jack to Grandpa Nick and back again, trying to work out what was going on. "Are you mad at each other?" he queried, his thumb heading towards his mouth. He didn't want the people he loved to be angry.

Jack silently cursed himself for his outburst; it hadn't been the best time to let Nick know about the man Claire had married. He crouched down in front of the little boy and gently tugged the thumb away from Daniel's mouth. "No, we're not mad at each other. We're just talking about grown-up stuff, that's all. Okay?"

Daniel nodded. He wasn't completely convinced that they weren't mad at each other but he didn't think Jack would lie to him. "I'm going to show Cassie my jigsaw."

"Good idea," Jack approved, giving his brother's hair another ruffle. He straightened up when Daniel left the kitchen. Turning to Nick, he said quietly, "We'll continue this later." Little ears would be able to listen in now.

Nick nodded his acceptance of that; he had a lot more to think about anyway. Some of the photos he had seen of Claire and a young Jack took on a new meaning, especially the ones where John was also in the picture. Their expressions, he now interpreted as uncomfortable or fearful - something that wouldn't be surprising if John had made a habit of hitting his wife and child. More regrets flooded through Nick; he should have been there for his family during that time. No wonder Jack hated him.

Jack had no idea of the thoughts going through his grandfather's head as he got the milks ready for the two little kids. He took the glasses into the living room, where the children were busy with the puzzle, and put the drinks down where they wouldn't get knocked accidentally. Then he headed back to the kitchen, took the paper from Nick, and settled down to read it.

Daniel had a wonderful time with Cassie. They did some of the jigsaw, made some drawings, ran around the backyard and got muddy shoes, looked at some of the photo albums, and finally settled down in the living room to listen to one of Nick's stories. Daniel and Cassie sat together on one of the big chairs while Nick sat on the other, and Jack relaxed on the couch, curious in spite of himself.

"Once upon a time there was an archaeologist who was working on a dig in a faraway land," Nick started off. "He discovered a great big temple, one that looked like the Mayan temples of old. Inside, there were many rooms but none of them had any writing, which the archaeologist thought was very strange. Still, he explored the temple thoroughly and discovered a hidden room underneath the altar."

He looked over at his rapt audience of two; children loved this kind of story. Jack, he could tell, wasn't interested at the moment but whether that would change when he got to the crystal skull, he didn't know. "Cautiously, the archaeologist went down into the hidden room, making sure that the entrance was unblocked. And what he found in that room amazed him. There, on a circular pedestal, was a skull made from one block of crystal. The man went over to investigate it, finding no markings to tell him what the skull was for. As he gazed into the eyes of the skull, he felt this change come over him, an energy field or something, and suddenly, he was no longer in the temple. He had somehow been transported from the temple to a huge cavern that could have fitted several pyramids inside it. In front of him was another skull that seemed identical to the one he had found."

"Wow!" Daniel breathed, completely entranced by the tale. His sentiment was echoed a second later by Cassie. "Where was the cavern, Grandpa?"

Nick leaned in, as if sharing a secret - which, in a way, he was. "Nowhere on this Earth. Of course, the archaeologist didn't know this until a giant alien that looked like he was made of mist, rose from the chasm surrounding the dais where the man stood. 'Oo waling, waling, wah tael', the alien said. The archaeologist knew what it meant - 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' - but he didn't know how to reply. He just looked at the alien, unable to believe his eyes. And then the energy surrounded him again and suddenly he was back in the temple where he had started."

"What's an alien?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Someone from outer space," Jack cut in. Was his grandfather nuts? Jack saw through 'the archaeologist' ruse, knowing that Nick was talking about himself, but he couldn't believe the story he was telling.

Daniel nodded, understanding completely. "Like angels," he told Cassie. Then he turned back to his grandfather. "Keep going, Grandpa."

Nick swallowed the lump in his throat at Daniel's innocent mention of angels and continued with the story. "As he emerged out of the hidden room, taking the crystal skull with him, the temple started shaking as if there was an earthquake, and the walls started to fall down around him. The archaeologist ran as fast as he could, large bricks of stone narrowly missing him, until he finally reached the entrance to the temple. He ran outside just as the temple seemed to completely collapse and he realised just how lucky he was to have got out in time."

The two children were oblivious to the danger part of the story. "Did he still have the skull with him?" Cassie asked, as enthralled as her friend. "Did he try to use it again and go back to see the aliens?"

"Yes, he still had the skull and yes, he did try again to use it but it didn't work," Nick answered, his expression wistful. "So, knowing that no-one would believe him about the aliens, he only told two people who would understand about them. But he hoped that one day, the right person would be able to make it work again and then he would be able to tell his story to everyone."

Did Nick actually _believe_ this? Jack hoped that he didn't because that would indicate a serious mental breakdown or something. "Maybe there was some kind of hallucinogen in that cavern that made the guy think he was seeing aliens but he really wasn't," he suggested, his tone heaving with meaning.

Nick knew that Jack wouldn't believe him but the rapt light in Daniel's eyes indicated that the little boy did. "What makes you so certain that life does not exist on other planets, Jack, and that they perhaps visited Earth a long time ago? Even Daniel will be able to tell you that certain things about Earth's history doesn't add up."

Daniel didn't get that saying so but he guessed at its meaning. "Daddy says that the pyramids are way older than everyone says they are so maybe aliens built them too." He looked at Grandpa Nick for confirmation.

"That may just be right, Daniel," Nick agreed, ignoring the glare Jack sent him. "That may just be right."

Before Jack could make any sort of comment on that, the doorbell chimed. Looking at his watch, he realised that it was just after six. He stood up, saying, "Cassie, that might be your mother," and then walked over to open the front door. As he had expected, it was Janet. "Hey, right on time. Come on in."

"Thanks. I hope Cassie hasn't been too much trouble," Janet said as she entered the house. Very much a bachelor's house, she noted, but beginning to become a home as evidenced by the pictures she could see on the refrigerator. A few toys lying on the floor would make it even more so.

"No trouble at all," Jack replied, meaning every word as two little whirlwinds rushed past him to Daniel's bedroom. "They've kept themselves amused pretty much the whole time."

"I'm sure." Janet grinned, knowing how easy it was for children to entertain themselves. She stepped into the living room and nodded at the old man there. "Hi, I'm Janet, Cassie's mom."

"Nicholas Ballard, Daniel's grandfather," Nick introduced himself, slowly standing up so that he could shake hands with the lovely young woman. "How do you know Jack?"

"I'm a doctor at Cheyenne Mountain where Jack is stationed," Janet replied, seeing something of Daniel in the old man's blue eyes.

"A doctor," Nick echoed, a gleam coming into his eyes.

"Don't even think about it," Jack said, understanding what that look meant. "Daniel!"

"We're coming!" the little boy called back. A few seconds later, he came out into the hallway, Cassie close behind. "Hi, Mrs Janet," he greeted Janet.

"Hello, Daniel," Janet answered, smiling down at the boy. "Did you have a good time?"

"The best," Cassie stated enthusiastically as Daniel nodded eagerly. "We played lots of stuff and Grandpa Nick told us a story about aliens."

Janet raised one eyebrow and glanced at Jack, whose expression had darkened at the older man's name. "I see. You can tell me all about it on the trip home." She took Cassie's hand.

"Okay." Cassie used her free hand to wave to Daniel. "Bye. Thank you, Mr Jack, for letting me stay here. Thank you, Grandpa Nick, for the story."

"Anytime," Jack said, waving to the little girl. It hadn't been as much of an effort as he had thought.

"Bye!" Daniel called out, waving back so hard that Jack thought his arm was about to fly off. When Cassie had got into the car with Janet, he looked up at Jack. "Is it dinnertime?" All that playing and listening to stories had made him hungry.

"In about ten minutes," Jack replied, sorting through all the meals he knew how to cook quickly. "How about you go tell Nick about your day?"

"Okay." Daniel ran into the living room and bounded onto his grandfather's lap. "When I got to day-care..."

Jack smiled involuntarily as he headed into the kitchen. Daniel was such a bundle of energy, and he wouldn't have it any other way.


	34. Chapter 34

Sorry that this has taken so long to get the next part out. I've had a serious case of writer's block, and a couple of weeks where I just didn't feel like writing anything at all. Anyway, I hope that this part hasn't suffered for all that, and that you enjoy it as much as the others.

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**Part 34** - **Tears and Tantrums**

Daniel talked his way through dinner again. When he ran out of stories from the past two weeks, he went onto ones from Egypt, unaware that he was making his grandfather unhappy. Jack, however, noticed and when dinner was finished, said, "Bathtime, kiddo."

"I don't wanna bath, I want to stay here with Grandpa," Daniel argued mutinously. He had barely seen his grandfather all day.

"I know you would but since it's nearly bedtime, you have to have a bath," Jack pointed out to his four-year-old brother. And he needed some time with Nick to underline why it would be a bad idea to move to Colorado Springs without Daniel's little ears listening in.

"But I'm not tired!" Daniel protested, crossing his arms and glaring at Jack. Why was he being such a meanie?

"That doesn't matter." Jack went around the table to pick Daniel up.

"I'm not going!" Daniel quickly slipped off his chair and started to run away.

"Oh yes, you are," Jack said firmly as he caught up with the kid in the hallway and picked him up.

"Noooo! I wanna stay with Grandpaaaa!" Daniel complained loudly, near tears. A sob escaped him as he started to struggle in his brother's arms. "Jaaaack! Lemme goooo!"

Jack ignored the squirming body and the punching fists to carry Daniel into the boy's bedroom. Awkwardly, he collected the little boy's pyjamas while wincing at the unhappy protests and the pain in his shoulders where small fists were beating against him. He didn't back down when the waterworks started but the longer he felt the little body shuddering against him as Daniel sobbed, the less he could stand it. Jack sat down on the bed, cradling his brother in his lap, and said, "Danny, there's no need for all this. Nick will be able to play with you while you're in the bath, and then he can read you a story afterwards."

"No-no bath!" Daniel stated stubbornly, his breath still coming in hitches.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack muttered under his breath. He rubbed Daniel's back as he quickly thought about plans of action but eventually decided to give in - which was so not fair. "Alright, Daniel, you have ten minutes to play with Nick but if you pull this stunt again, you'll go straight to bed without a story, is that clear?"

Daniel nodded, wiping his nose on Jack's shirt. "I'll be good, I promise." He wanted his bedtime story. But he had to know one thing first. "What's a stunt?"

"I'll explain later. Now go on or you'll waste those ten minutes," Jack ordered, setting Daniel on the floor. When the boy had gone, Jack looked down at his shirt and shook his head in disgust; he really needed to get Daniel to remember to use tissues instead of whatever was handy. He wiped his shirt with a tissue and then went back out into the hallway but stopped when he heard Daniel say "-he's being a meanie."

Jack didn't know how to react. He stayed where he was, trying to think of how he should make himself known, and then Nick spoke before anything came to mind.

"No, he's not, Daniel. You have had a big day with me being here and your friend coming to visit, and Jack knows that although you might not be tired now, you will be soon," Nick stated. "And if you're tired, then you might miss the end of the story, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Jack took part of his scepticism back; Nick _did_ have some idea on how to deal with children.

"Good little boys always do what they are told," Nick continued, remembering the rules he had been brought up with. "Even if they don't want to do it."

"But I want to play with youuuu!" Daniel complained, almost in tears again as his cherished grandfather scolded him.

"Then you must remember to ask nicely next time," Nick pointed out, "and not run away."

Daniel sniffed loudly, the tears in his eyes threatening to fall. "Mommy wouldn't make me have a bath if I didn't want to. I want Mommy to come back."

"I know," Nick tried to soothe the little boy. "I want her to come back too." Then he would get the opportunity to apologise for not seeing her more often and for not letting her know just how proud he was of her.

"I asked Oma to let Mommy come back but she wouldn't let me see her." Daniel sniffed loudly and wiped his nose with his sweater sleeve.

Nick frowned in confusion. "Who is Oma?"

"She's an angel just like Mommy and Daddy 'cept she doesn't have wings," Daniel explained. "When she came to see me, she took my cold away 'cept for some sneezes."

"I see," Nick said even though he did not. He didn't believe in angels but then again, he hadn't believed that aliens had really existed either until recently. "Was she nice?"

Daniel nodded against his grandfather's chest. "Uh-huh. But she wouldn't let me see them 'cos then she would get into trouble for breaking the rules and she would get punished."

"That... sounds reasonable." Nick made a note to ask Jack what he thought about this angel business.

Out in the hallway, Jack decided that it was time to intervene. He stepped into the kitchen and said, "Your ten minutes are almost up, kiddo. I'm going to get the bath ready."

"But Jaaack," Daniel started to whine.

"What did I tell you, Daniel?" Jack warned, in no mood to deal with his brother's tears again.

Daniel subsided, pouting; Jack was being such a meanie.

Nick looked at Jack and said quietly, "I think someone is t-i-r-e-d."

"I'm not tired!" Daniel protested indignantly, sitting up properly so that he could glare at his grandfather.

Jack had to grin at the surprise on Nick's face. "Did I forget to mention that someone knows how to spell?" he stated casually before withdrawing to the bathroom. He hadn't actually connected Daniel's ability to read with the ability to spell until just then but he wasn't about to tell Nick that; it was much more fun this way.

Side-tracked, Daniel proudly stated, "I can spell lots of words, Grandpa, and I can read too, and I can write my letters and some hie-ro-glyphs but Arabic is a bit tricky 'cos it's just lots of squiggly lines. Can you write hie-ro-glyphs, Grandpa?"

Despite knowing that Daniel could speak three-and-a-bit languages, Nick hadn't realised that he had also learnt to write and read them as well. Surprise colouring his voice, he replied, "No, Daniel, I cannot write hieroglyphs. My area of speciality is Central and South American cultures, like Mayan and Aztec."

"Where's Central America?" Daniel wanted to know. "What's spesh-lty mean?"

Nick put Daniel on the floor, held his hand and led the boy out of the kitchen as he answered those two questions. That, of course, only led to more questions, which Nick replied to as Jack undressed the little boy and put him in the bath.

Jack was grateful for the distraction and for the fact that Daniel had forgotten all about not wanting a bath. He quickly washed Daniel's hair and then allowed his brother some playing time.

Daniel showed Nick how all the toys worked and invited his grandfather to go exploring with him. So Nick spent the next ten minutes pretending to be the diver and helping Daniel - and the fish - search for other lost cities under the water.

"How would they breathe under the water?" Daniel asked after another lost city had been 'found'.

"Well, at the time the city was built, it probably wasn't under water," Nick explained, enjoying teaching Daniel about archaeology. "Most ruined cities that are found in the ocean were originally on land but either the level of the water has risen since they were built or the land has fallen into the sea, taking the city with it."

Daniel absorbed that information and then nodded as his active imagination came up with another explanation. "What if they were like fish and could breathe underwater? Or maybe they lived in a bubble where there's no water!"

_That would have to be one mighty big bubble,_ Jack thought with amusement. "Alright, Danny, time to get out."

"Some say that there are people who live in the sea," Nick said as Daniel was lifted out of the bath. "They are called mermaids and mermen, but no-one has ever seen them."

"Oooh." Daniel was fascinated with that idea. "What do they look like? Do they have fins? Do they breathe like this?" He gave a good goldfish impression.

Nick chuckled at his grandson's imitation of a fish. "No, Daniel, I don't think they breathe like that. And they don't have fins, just a long tail instead of legs so that they can swim through the water quickly."

"I can swim a little bit," Daniel shared as Jack rubbed him dry with a towel. "But Mommy or Daddy were always with me to keep me safe."

_Swimming lessons - something else to add to the list_, Jack mentally noted. With all the lessons Daniel was going to be doing - swimming, languages, school - he was definitely going to need a pay rise. Not to mention a few extra hours in each day. "How about you tell Nick about the jacuzzi?"

"Ooh! Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom have a jack-oooozi!" Daniel shared enthusiastically with his grandfather. "But you have to wear a suit in it instead of nothing because it's not like Egypt here and when you swim with other people, everyone has to wear clothes, which is very strange," he added as Jack helped dress him in pyjamas.

"That sounds very interesting," Nick said as he slowly stood, ready to walk to the bedroom with his young grandson.

"Yep! Jack buyed me a suit that can get wet and it's blue, and he said that we maybe can get a jack-oooozi," Daniel continued. He took hold of his grandfather's hand and led him out of the bathroom. "Come on, Grandpa, you have to tell me a story now."

"How quickly they forget," Jack muttered as he started draining the bath. Daniel's mind just seemed to flit from one topic to another, and there didn't seem to be any memory of the words: "I'm not tired". It was better than bearing a grudge though, he thought as he packed up the toys.

By the time he got to the bedroom, Daniel was already in bed, Thoth tucked in close, and Nick was just settling down next to him, ready to continue the Santa story.

"Jack, come and listen to the story!" Daniel ordered, a huge grin on his face.

"Just let me check for monsters first," Jack replied. He proceeded to do just that and then sat on the end of the bed. "Okay, all ready."

"Now, where were we?" Nick pondered out loud, trying to remember exactly where he had got to in the story.

"The reindeer!" Daniel reminded him. "Did they have names?"

"They did. The mother was named Donner and the father was named Blitzen. Do you know what those words mean?" Nick asked.

"Uh-uh," Daniel said, shaking his head vigorously.

"Well, they are both German words. Donner means thunder and Blitzen means lightning," Nick explained. Then he smiled as he saw Daniel absorb the new words with a frown of concentration; his young grandson was certainly very intelligent.

"Donner and Blitzen," Daniel echoed, fixing the new words in his mind. "What were their children called? Were they given German names too?"

"No. They were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet and Cupid," Nick recited.

It was Jack's turn to frown. "Where does Rudolph fit into it?" he asked.

"Who's Rudolph?" Daniel wanted to know, side-tracked from his thoughts about Cupid, whom he knew to be one of the Ancient Greek gods.

"A reindeer with a red nose," Jack told his little brother. "I'll teach you the song about him tomorrow."

Daniel grinned; that sounded like fun. "How did he get a red nose? Why didn't the others have red noses? What colour noses did they have?"

Both of the men were stumped by those questions. Nick cleared his throat and replied, "Probably they had black or brown noses. But Rudolph was not one of the original reindeer." He didn't even know that much about Rudolph, as he hadn't paid too much attention to the whole Western Christmas thing. "Vixen was the youngest one and often caused much trouble by trying to get Nicholas' attention. But as he grew older, he calmed down."

"He prob'ly liked playing lots," Daniel decided, nodding his head to agree with himself as that made sense to him.

"Most likely," Nick agreed. "Now after many years of delivering the toys to the stockings, two new people moved into town, a grandfather and his young granddaughter. The poor little girl wasn't allowed outside very much, and when Christmas time came, she wasn't even allowed to put a stocking out for Nicholas to deliver a toy."

"That's mean," Daniel stated with a pout.

"Yes, it was. But Nicholas wasn't going to give up. He decided to climb down their chimney. Once he was inside, he filled the blue stocking he had brought along with toys and lollies, and then hung it on the mantelpiece. Unfortunately, that was when the old grandfather caught him. The man accused Nicholas of being a thief but Nicholas told him that he wasn't and even gave the old man some gold coins to show that he was just there giving presents. A few days later, the little girl was seen skipping around town with her grandfather, a big smile on her face, and everyone knew it was because Nicholas had gone down the chimney that Christmas night."

"Wow," Daniel breathed, thinking that was just amazing. "Santa's a very nice person," he said as he yawned.

Nick smiled down at his grandson. "Yes, he is."

Daniel turned his sleepy eyes towards Jack. "Will he be able to come down our chimney?" He paused for a second then asked, "Do we have a chimney, Jack? What's a chimney?"

"You know the fireplace we have in the living room?" Daniel nodded. "Well, there's a brick chimney that goes up from that and lets all the bad smoke out," Jack explained.

"Oh." Daniel's eyes fluttered closed and then he opened them wide. "Jack, my eyes won't stay open!" he complained indignantly.

"That's because they want to have a rest," Jack stated, making up the reason on the spot. "You've been busy all day, so they're probably very tired."

Daniel thought that was so unfair; his eyes weren't allowed to go to sleep yet. "But I want to hear the rest of Grandpa's story!"

"Maybe another time," Jack said, his tone gentle but firm. "You'd better let your eyes have a sleep so then they're all rested for tomorrow."

Daniel thought about that and then decided that he would have to let his eyes sleep. But he was going to have a stern talk with them tomorrow about falling asleep before the story was finished! "Okay. Goodnight, Jack. Goodnight, Grandpa Nick." He closed his eyes, letting them start their rest.

"Goodnight, Daniel." Nick ruffled his grandson's hair and then moved aside for Jack to get close.

"Night, Danny," Jack said, leaning down and kissing his brother's forehead. As Nick left the bedroom, Jack lingered for a moment, one hand gently brushing the soft fringe away from Daniel's forehead. He wasn't looking forward to the upcoming discussion even though he would be glad to tell Nick a few truths about the family he had virtually ignored.

He closed the door behind him so that any raised voices would be blocked and Daniel wouldn't be able to hear them, then he headed into the living room where Nick was just sitting down on one of the chairs. "You wanna have this out now or later?" he asked as he sat on the couch.

"I would rather not 'have it out' at all," Nick replied sadly, resigned to the fact that Jack didn't like him. "But if we must, then now would be preferable." Then he could find out what was behind Jack's animosity towards him.

"Fine, where do you want me to start? From the fact that we never saw you because you were always off on some dig that was more important than us, or the fact that my father was an alcoholic who thought that beatings were suitable punishment for any infraction?" Jack challenged, his temper rising as he spoke. It probably wasn't logical to put all the blame onto Nick but it still hurt that his grandfather appeared to have ignored them completely.

"I'm sorry your father was like that," Nick stated, "but his character was not my fault. Nor would I have been able to have stopped Claire from marrying him if I had known as she had a stubbornness that rivalled her mother's. From what I gathered from her letters, she was in love with your father."

"Not for very long," Jack said darkly. "It took her thirteen years to get up the courage to leave him, and that was only because she discovered that he was hitting me too." He didn't mention how she had found out or the confrontation that followed. "If you had bothered to show an interest in her life, then she might have left him sooner."

"Or she might have resented my interference," Nick countered, remembering how stubborn Claire had been as a child. Even the few times he had seen her as an adult, that trait had still been quite in evidence. "If you had met someone that your parents told you was unsuitable, would you listen or would you do exactly as you pleased?"

"That's not the point," Jack side-stepped, not wanting to answer that. "The point is, you weren't available for any advice, so when she found out what my father was like, she didn't have anyone to turn to." Except for Iris and Tom but he knew that Claire hadn't wanted to discuss her problems with John's parents.

Nick's expression hardened. "I will not take the blame for that, Jack. If I'd had any idea of what you and Claire were going through, I would have been there for you both. The first I heard of anything was when Claire wrote to tell me she was divorced but she never told me why, even when I asked."

"When did you have the chance to ask?" Jack questioned sceptically. "You never saw her! You never saw me!"

"We corresponded often," Nick stated, "and I visited whenever I could. If I recall correctly, you never visited her much either once you joined the Air Force."

Jack stiffened, resenting the turn the argument had taken and the fact that the comment was accurate. "That was different."

"Of course it was."

Nick's tone was not quite patronising but it certainly sounded that way to Jack. "It's not exactly easy getting time off in the military," he responded. "And they were in Egypt."

"How many times did you see Daniel before he came here?" Nick was curious to know, judging from Jack's defensive reaction that it wouldn't be many.

"This isn't about me! It's about you and the fact that you couldn't be bothered to be a father or a grandfather when you were needed!" Jack shot back, angry that Nick was trying to shift the blame.

Nick sighed. "You will learn in time, Jack, that it is not easy to change. My father was distant, leaving the raising of the children to my mother. That is how I learnt to be a father, what I thought I had to do. And when your children are grown, as you will discover with Daniel and when you have children of your own, they do not necessarily want your help or advice."

"Jack?" a small voice said from the hallway.

_Darn_, Jack thought as he turned to see Daniel standing there, thumb in mouth and teddy held tightly; _how much did he hear?_ Shedding as much anger as possible, Jack went over to his little brother and crouched down in front of him. "Hey, kiddo, what are you doing up? I thought you were asleep."

"Heard voices," Daniel said around his thumb. When he had heard Jack shouting, he had become scared. "I don't want you to fight."

"I'm sorry." Jack realised that Daniel had been frightened by his loud, angry voice. He picked the little boy up and hugged him. "We were just... talking about a few things."

"You were mad," Daniel corrected him, resting his head on Jack's shoulder. "Why were you mad at Grandpa?"

"Uh..." Jack didn't know what to say. He jiggled Daniel a little, stalling for time.

"Jack was just upset about some things that happened a long time ago," Nick replied, coming to stand where Daniel could see him. "He didn't mean to worry you."

"I don't like loud voices," Daniel continued quietly. "Some mean men yelled at Daddy for a long time once and they made Mommy cry, and I didn't like that. They were scary."

That made Jack feel even worse. He rubbed Daniel's back while thinking up a suitable apology. After a few seconds, he stated, "I know they were. I didn't mean to yell, Danny, and I'm sorry I woke you up and scared you. I won't do it again." He had pretty much got everything out of his system anyway.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Jack agreed. "Do you think you can go back to sleep now?"

Daniel shook his head; he still didn't feel completely safe yet.

"Okay then." Jack walked over to the couch and sat down, moving Daniel to sit on his lap. "How about you just rest for awhile then?" He turned the television on to a comedy show, the sound on low so that there was some background noise.

That sounded okay to Daniel. He snuggled up to his big brother, one thumb still firmly in his mouth, and closed his eyes, the big hand rubbing his back soothing him.

Jack felt when Daniel fell asleep but kept up the rubbing for a little while longer, guilty that he had scared the kid. He glanced over at Nick and saw the same guilty expression there, even though the old man hadn't been doing any of the shouting.

"Is he asleep?" Nick asked softly.

"Yeah." But Jack made no move to take Daniel back to bed; it was soothing to hold the little boy like this. "So, you really going to move here?"

"I am." Although he doubted he would live to see it, Nick did not want Daniel to grow up to be as bitter as Jack was about his absence.

"Good," Jack said grudgingly. "Daniel will be happy about that." He didn't quite know how he felt about it yet.

There was no more conversation after that. Thirty minutes later, Jack put Daniel to bed as the little boy was getting heavy. He returned to the living room afterwards but felt awkward about initiating another conversation with Nick so he remained quiet and channel surfed until he found a movie to watch.

Nick sensed that Jack was no longer as angry with him but wasn't stupid enough to think that things were settled between them. Some hurts, he knew, ran deep and Jack's were compounded by an abusive father. When he moved to Colorado Springs, they would be able to talk this through and hopefully start anew for everyone's sake. Especially Daniel's.

At ten o'clock, Nick headed to bed. His quiet, "Good night," was answered equally as softly but the response was an improvement on the previous night. There was definitely hope that things would get better.


	35. Snow, Shots and Shirts

I apologise for not getting this part out sooner – I did intend to but events conspired to stop me. I was also going to put Sam in this part but she didn't want to make an appearance. I do have an idea of how to get her into the next one though, so stay tuned and enjoy!

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**Part 35 - Snow, Shots and Shirts**

**Wednesday, 10th December**

Jack had to comfort Daniel through one nightmare about the 'scary loud men', and didn't get much sleep after that. He hadn't got much sleep before that anyway, his mind going over everything that he had said to Nick. He had come to the conclusion that neither of them had got the upper hand in the discussion, and that sometimes he had sounded like a spoilt child. So what if Nick hadn't been there when he was growing up? Many children didn't get to see their grandparents often if they lived far apart. He needed to grow up and put the past behind him for Daniel's sake, especially if Nick was going to live nearby and visit often.

He sighed; that would be easier said than done.

A soft toy flung in his direction reminded him that he needed to wake Daniel up soon so he could get the little boy ready for day-care. It would be good to get Daniel back to his own bed - waking up with a mouthful of fur wasn't the best way to start the day.

Ten minutes later, he had a talkative Daniel seated at the kitchen table. His brother was chatting about all the things he would be able to do when Nick came back. Jack decided not to interrupt; better not to say anything that might provoke a tantrum.

Daniel was in the middle of a sentence when he saw something white fall past the kitchen window. "Jack, what was that?" he asked, pointing to the window.

Jack moved to the window and looked out. "That, Daniel, was snow." There was a light covering of snow on the ground - not a lot but enough to have some fun with. However, that meant it would be cold outside so he would have to make sure Daniel was well rugged up.

"What's snow?" Daniel wanted to know next. He slid off his chair and went over to Jack, standing on his tiptoes to try and see.

Jack lifted the little boy up so that he could see out the window. "It's kind of like rain except it's more solid and white, and it only comes when the weather gets really cold," he attempted to explain. He knew he had learnt what snow was in high school but his memory deserted him.

"Oooh." Daniel thought it looked strange but pretty. "Can I touch it?" he asked, turning his head to look at Jack.

"Not right now. Maybe when we go outside later," Jack replied. He put Daniel back down on the chair. "So you'd better eat up."

Daniel obeyed, eager to see this new thing up close. "Will it be cold?"

"Very." Jack sat down too and continued to eat his breakfast. "So you'll have to wear your mittens if you play with it."

"How do you play with it?" Daniel wanted to know next.

So Jack explained about snowmen and snowball fights, and Daniel grew interested in these new things. "Can we make a snowman today?"

"I don't think there's enough snow, kiddo, but when there is, we definitely will," Jack promised, thinking back on all the fun times he'd had as a child and playing in the snow. "You finished?" he asked as Daniel picked up the glass of milk.

"Yep!" came the muffled response as Daniel downed several mouthfuls of his favourite breakfast drink. "Can I wake Grandpa Nick and show him the snow?" he asked a few seconds later.

"You can wake him but I think you'd better wait until you're both dressed before you go outside."

Jack had never seen Daniel get ready for day-care so quickly. Soon the little boy was bouncing up and down at the back door, impatient to get out and experience this new thing called snow. "Jack, come on!" he shouted, having already been warned not to go outside without his big brother. "Hurry up, Grandpa!"

"Hold your horses," Jack muttered as he approached Daniel, woollen cap in hand. He had found the cap in a box in the bottom of his wardrobe - presumably a gift from Iris as she was the only one in his family who knitted clothing. Jack put the cap on Daniel's head and was amused to see that even though it was small, it was still too big for the kid. However, it would do for today. "Put your mittens on," he instructed as he turned up the edge of the hat until it was the right size for Daniel.

Daniel obeyed, having problems because he was in such a hurry to get outside. Eventually, Jack helped him and then he opened the back door to let the little boy out to see the snow.

"Oooh," Daniel exclaimed on seeing the thin white blanket that coated much of the grass. He was used to seeing only sand so this was quite a contrast. He hurried down the steps but halted when he got to the bottom, having realised something. "Jack, I can't touch it with the mittens on!"

_That was the point_, Jack thought as he went down the steps to Daniel. He crouched down in front of his brother and took the mittens off again. "Okay, but not too long because you don't want your fingers getting frozen, do you?"

Daniel shook his head vigorously. As soon as his mittens were off, he crouched down and tentatively poked the snow. "Oh!" It was cold and wet! He picked up a handful and examined it more closely, poking it with a finger from the opposite hand. Turning, he saw his grandfather come down the steps to join him so Daniel held up his hand. "Look, Grandpa Nick! Jack says it's snow. Have you seen snow before?"

"A few times," Nick understated, smiling at the fascination on Daniel's face. "Where I was born, it snowed much of the year."

"Was it cold?" Daniel inquired, unable to grasp such a concept. He was only used to hot weather in Egypt.

"Oh, yes," Nick replied, thinking back to his childhood. "And the snow sometimes got this high." He gestured to his waist.

"Wow," Daniel breathed; that was a lot of snow. "How did you get outside? Did you make tunnels like the Pharaohs did?"

Nick chuckled at the questions. "Sometimes we did, if we could get outside."

Daniel turned to Jack and bounced on his toes. "Can we build a tunnel?" he asked enthusiastically.

"I think we'll need a lot more snow for that," Jack stated. "Let's wait a few weeks and see."

"Okay!" Daniel put his handful of snow down and picked up another lot, holding up close to his face so he could inspect it really closely. When he almost put his nose in it, Jack gently moved his hand back.

"That better be enough for this morning," he decided, well aware of what the time was; the last thing he needed was for Daniel to somehow fall into the snow, get wet and therefore need to get changed. "If it's still around later, we have a snowball fight, okay?"

"Yay!" Daniel threw the snow up into the air, some of it falling on him, and then raced inside, eager to be off to day-care so that he could tell his friends about the snow. Once at the front door, he remembered that Nick was leaving and so he ran back to his grandfather, who was slowly walking up the steps. "Don't go, Grandpa! Stay here with me and Jack! You can have my bed and I'll sleep with Jack all the time and you can teach me to be an archaeol'gist and I can teach you how to read Egyptian and--"

"Danny, Nick is coming back, remember?" Jack interrupted, disentangling the little boy from his grandfather's legs and then picking him up. "He'll be back by Christmas in a new place and we can go visit him." He sent a look towards Nick that suggested the old man better keep his word.

"Lots?" Daniel questioned. He wasn't sure he wanted his grandpa to go away even for a short time but if Jack said he would be coming back, then he would trust that.

After a brief hesitation, Jack agreed, "Lots." He still wasn't sure how he felt about Nick moving close by but he couldn't deprive Daniel of the opportunity to know his grandfather.

Daniel was satisfied with that. He wriggled out of Jack's arms and ran back inside, ready to go to day-care now.

"I will come back," Nick promised his eldest grandson before Jack could follow Daniel inside.

"You'd better," Jack replied. If Nick didn't follow through, then Jack would never forgive him.

They saw Nick to the train - he would be taking an early train to Denver and then getting a flight to Belize - and then Jack took Daniel to day-care. The young boy was quiet, having said a rather subdued good-bye to Nick, and Jack had some misgivings about leaving him at the centre. He knelt next to his little brother and asked, "Are you going to be okay, kiddo?"

"Uh-huh," Daniel said unconvincingly. "Grandpa isn't going to be an angel, is he?"

"No, he's not," Jack promised, hoping that Nick wouldn't prove him wrong. Besides which, he had always thought that the old man would go the other way when he died. "He's going to come back and you're going to have lots of fun together."

"Okay." Daniel was reassured by Jack's words.

"Now, go have fun," Jack encouraged, giving Daniel's hair a ruffle. "I'll be back before you know it."

Daniel nodded solemnly and then his eyes lit up. "I have to tell Cassie and Robert about the snow!" And then he was off in search of his friends.

Jack shook his head in amusement; Daniel was so distractible.

When Daniel reached his friends, he said, "Hi! Did you see the snow? Have you seen snow before?"

Cassie giggled. "It snows every year. Mommy always takes me ice-skating and sledding at the park."

"Me too," Robert agreed with a nod.

Daniel's face fell; they already knew about snow? He had so wanted to share this new thing with his friends. Suddenly, seeing snow for the first time wasn't as exciting. "Oh," he said in a small voice.

Sensing something was wrong, Cassie patted Daniel's arm. "Haven't you seen snow before?"

"No." Daniel shook his head slowly. He turned and saw that Jack hadn't gone yet. Wanting the comfort of his big brother, he ran over to Jack and hugged his legs.

Jack was totally surprised at the action. Carefully, he unhooked Daniel's arms and then lifted the little boy up. "Hey, kiddo, what's wrong?" Had Daniel's concern over Nick leaving transferred to his leaving?

"They know about snow," Daniel said unhappily, wrapping his arms around Jack's neck.

Oh. Jack rubbed his brother's back while trying to think of something to say to that. A few seconds later, he was able to reply, "That's because they live in a country that gets cold. You've only been in Egypt where it's pretty hot most of the year. They might know about snow already but I bet they don't know about deserts and sand as far as the eye can see, do they?"

A small shake of the head was given in reply.

"See, if you were in Egypt and they came to visit you, they would be just as excited about the desert as you are about snow here." Jack wasn't sure Daniel was understanding this but he persisted.

A tug on his trousers made him look down. Cassie and Robert were both there, staring up at him with concerned expressions.

"Why is Daniel sad, Mister Jack?" Cassie asked.

"Ah, he's just a little upset that you've seen snow before," Jack stated, hoping that he was saying the right thing. "Where Daniel was living before, they didn't have snow there."

"It didn't snow?" Robert echoed in surprise. He had thought that everywhere was just like Colorado Springs. "Was it hot?"

Daniel turned his head so that he could see his friends. "It was reeeeeally hot. We had to go swimming all the time."

Two pairs of eyes lit up. "You got to go swimming heaps?" Cassie commented. "That would be so cool! We can't go swimming 'cos the water's too cold now."

Daniel perked up a bit. "Daddy took me swimming in the river lots and lots 'cos it would get really hot but sometimes there was sandstorms and we couldn't go."

"What are sandstorms?" Robert wanted to know. He knew about thunderstorms and snowstorms but he had never heard of sandstorms.

Perking up some more, Daniel recited, "They're when it's really, really windy and the wind picks up the sand and throws it everywhere and you have to keep your eyes shut when you're outside 'cos it'll get inside your eyes and it hurts so you have to stay inside until the wind stops throwing the sand."

"And it stings your skin too," Jack added, having experienced a sandstorm while he was over in the Middle East.

Daniel nodded knowledgeably. "Daddy once went outside and when he came back inside, he was all red and his hair was standing up by itself and Mommy said that he looked like a wild thing and Daddy pretended to be scary and he chased Mommy around our tent."

The last bit provoked some more surprise from his friends. "You lived in a tent? Wasn't it too small?" Cassie asked. When she had been camping with her mother, the tent was hardly big enough to stand up in.

"Uh-huh. Our tent was reeeeally big 'cos we had to live there." Daniel squirmed in Jack's arms, wanting to be put down again now that he was over the whole snow thing, having found a new topic where he could impart his knowledge. "Everyone had to live in tents 'cos there was no houses at the site and..."

Jack ruffled Daniel's hair as the little boy kept talking; the mini-crisis had been averted. He still wasn't quite sure why Daniel had been so unhappy that his friends knew about snow but he put that down to his brother's young age and the fact that Daniel liked sharing information. When he was sure that the kid was okay, Jack left the day-care centre and headed to work.

The day warmed up enough that when Jack went to pick Daniel up from day-care, the little boy was playing outside in the sandpit with his friends. As soon as Daniel saw Jack, he waved enthusiastically and then kept playing, explaining how to 'ex-ki-vate' the toys from the sand. Jack came over and listened for awhile, amazed at how much information Daniel had stored so far in his short life.

When Daniel was finished with his explanation, he ran over to Jack and tugged on his hand, wanting his brother to follow. "We made stars today that our teacher says we can hang on the Christmas tree. When are we getting a Christmas tree? Do we have to go to the North Pole to get it? Is it a big tree? What if my star gets lonely?" he asked without taking a breath in-between questions.

"No, we don't have to go to the North Pole to get it," Jack replied, resigning himself to another afternoon of Christmas questions. He had to admit, the one about getting the tree from the North Pole was one he had never thought of before. "We'll be able to buy one around here somewhere. I don't know how big it'll be yet but it will be big enough to have lots of decorations so that your star doesn't get lonely."

"Yay!" Daniel didn't really have any idea what a Christmas tree looked like but he was enthusiastic nonetheless. He took Jack over to the display of stars and proudly picked his out. "Look, Jack! I chose two blue pyramids and then I had to turn one the other way and I glued them together and then I put lots of gold glitter on so that they were like the pyramids only sparkly." Daniel beamed with joy at his creation.

"It looks great, kiddo," Jack praised, ruffling his brother's hair. "We'll have to put it right at the front of the tree so that Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom can see it when they come." It would stick out like a sore thumb but it would be worth it to see that big smile on Daniel's face.

Daniel felt so proud, like when Jack had put his drawings on the fridge. As they walked out to the car, Daniel happily clutching his star, the little boy chattered away about everything that had happened at day-care. He kept up his monologue until he realised that they weren't going home. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack glanced in the rear-view mirror to see a curious face staring back at him.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to see a special doctor, one that's just for kids," Jack replied. "He's going to give you something that will hopefully stop you from being sick."

"Is it a doctor like Mommy and Daddy?" Daniel wanted to know next.

"No, this doctor helps children get better when they're sick, and if they're not sick, then he makes sure that they don't get sick." Jack mentally reviewed that sentence and decided he sounded like Daniel, in which case the kid should be able to understand him.

"Oh. Okay." Daniel hadn't had anything to do with those types of doctors before but he was willing to give this one a try.

A few minutes later, Jack took Daniel into the paediatric clinic. A kid-friendly waiting room greeted them, with plenty of toys and puzzles for children to play with and books to read as well. Jack let the receptionist know that they were here and then took Daniel over to the seats to wait.

Daniel let Jack put him on one of the chairs but then scooted across so that he was sitting on his big brother's lap. There were lots of people in the room and Daniel was a little wary of them all. "Is it going to hurt?" he inquired when he saw a baby crying in its mother's arms.

"I don't think so," Jack stated, although truthfully, he didn't know. Some people were more sensitive to needles than others so he wasn't going to lie and say that it wouldn't hurt. "But I'll be right there with you anyway."

Daniel eyed the crying baby and thought about running away; he didn't like things that hurt. But then he leaned back against Jack's chest and realised that his brother would make it all better so maybe it would be okay if it hurt a little bit. But not a lot because he didn't want to cry.

To take Daniel's mind off things, Jack reached over and snagged a book from the nearby table. Holding it in front of them both, he started reading it to Daniel.

They were just getting up to the good bit where the rabbit was about to save the day when they were called into see the paediatrician. Daniel decided that he didn't want to walk so he wrapped his legs around Jack's waist and held on tight with his arms around his brother's neck.

Jack carried Daniel into the room where the middle-aged female doctor was waiting. "Hi," he greeted her while taking in his surroundings. The animals painted on the walls were a nice touch.

"Hi. You must be Jack," she replied, holding out one hand for him to shake. "Doctor Wendy Michaels. And this must be Daniel."

"Yep, this is him." Jack jiggled Daniel a bit so that the kid would look at the doctor.

"Hello, Daniel, I'm Doctor Wendy."

Daniel observed her carefully and decided that she seemed nice enough. "Hello," he answered.

She gave him a gentle smile and pulled her chair over so she could sit down nearby. "I understand that you've been living in Egypt until recently," she commented to put him at ease.

Daniel nodded in answer.

"Did you ever go to a doctor over there?" Wendy asked.

A shake of the head this time.

"Well, that's good to know. That means you must be pretty healthy then," she stated.

Daniel nodded again, then said, "But I got a cold when I came here but it went away again when the angel lady took it 'cept for a few sneezes."

Wendy accepted that explanation with the ease of a mother who was experienced with imaginary friends. "Have the sneezes gone now?"

"Uh-huh. I saw snow this morning. Jack says that means it's really cold. Will I get a cold again 'cos of the snow?" Daniel questioned curiously.

"I doubt it," Wendy stated, a small smile of amusement on her face. "Now, I'm going to examine you to make sure everything is okay. Can I have a look at your hands please?"

"Why do you have to look at my hands?" Daniel wanted to know as he held his hands out.

"To make sure there's no tiny germs there," Wendy replied, carefully looking his hands over. She glanced up at Jack. "How long has Daniel been living with you?"

Jack frowned, confused. "Just over two weeks. Why?"

Wendy held up one of Daniel's hands, palms facing towards her. "You need to cut Daniel's fingernails," she stated. "And most likely his toenails as well."

Whoops. That was something that hadn't even occurred to Jack. "Do I, uh, need special scissors or anything?" Those fingernails looked awfully small.

This time Wendy's smile was bigger as she released Daniel's hand. "No, the ones you use will be fine. Just remember to keep an eye on them and keep them short. You can end up with very nasty scratches if they get too long."

"Right." He would have to cut them as soon as they got home. Jack looked down at Daniel. "Who usually cut your nails, kiddo?"

"Mommy." She had always made it lots of fun too. Daniel inspected his fingernails. "I can see white bits, Jack." He held his hand up under his brother's nose, making Jack go cross-eyed trying to look at the fingers.

Jack moved Daniel's hand away from his face. "I can see them, thank you."

Wendy smiled and moved onto the next part of the examination. She tested Daniel's reflexes by tapping his knees, something the little boy found fascinating because his legs were moving all by themselves. Then she shone a light in his ears and discovered a lot of wax; Jack was going to have to find the cotton buds when he got home as well so he could clean Daniel's ears too.

Finally, it came time for the needle. Jack had decided that Daniel needed to be immunised against the flu, so the harmless examination was the perfect lead-in to it.

When the doctor got the needle out, Daniel grew wary; he didn't like sharp, pointy things because they hurt. "Can we go now?" he asked Jack, tipping his head back so that he could see his brother's face.

"Just one last thing, Danny," Jack promised, pulling the sweater sleeve up so that Wendy could get to his arm. "Then we're going to go shopping and get you that shirt you wanted. So hold your arm out."

"The one with squares and stripes?" Daniel clarified.

"Yes, that one," Jack agreed. What was a little bribery if it got Daniel through this without much fuss?

Well, in that case... Daniel bravely stuck his arm out straight and closed his eyes tightly so that he didn't see the doctor put the pointy thing in his skin. He felt a tiny prick in his arm for a few seconds and then it stopped hurting. Daniel tilted his head up towards Jack again and opened his eyes. "Is it gone?" he whispered loudly.

"It's gone," Jack stated, grinning down at his little brother. He was so used to getting needles in the military that he had forgotten how little kids could react to them. It seemed that Daniel was going to be okay with needles though, which was good.

"Can we go get the shirt now?" Daniel persisted; after all, he had been brave and let the lady doctor put the pointy thing in his arm. "Pleeeeease?"

"In a minute," Wendy replied for Jack. She put a brightly coloured band-aid over the entry point and then pulled the sweater down to cover Daniel's arm. "You were very brave, Daniel. Would you like a sticker?"

Daniel's eyes lit up. He had learnt in day-care that stickers meant you had done something good. "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Jack prompted, hearing echoes of both his parents in those words.

"Yes, please," Daniel stated obediently, showing that he had heard that prompt several times in his young life. He watched as the doctor stuck the sticker on his sweater and then he examined it carefully. It had a star in the middle of it and Daniel was very pleased with it. "Look, Jack! I was brave. And now I won't get sick, will I?"

"I hope not," Jack muttered. He put Daniel on the floor and then stood up, keeping hold of the kid's right hand. "Thanks, Doc," he said to Wendy, who gave them both a big smile.

"You're welcome." She thought Daniel was adorable. "You'd better go buy that shirt before the shops close."

That piece of information was new to Daniel. He knew that markets in Egypt weren't open all day but he hadn't really thought about whether it was the same here. He tugged Jack's hand, trying to pull his brother out of the room. "Come on, Jack, we have to hurry!" It wouldn't be very good if they missed out because Jack was too slow.

"Easy there, Danny, we have plenty of time," Jack said as he checked his watch. Nevertheless, he let Daniel lead him back out to the receptionist, where he had to pay for the check-up. Then he and Daniel headed out to the car, ready for their little shopping expedition.

"I was brave, wasn't I, Jack?" Daniel chatted away in the back seat. "It only hurted a little and then it didn't but I didn't even cry or say 'ouch' or anything, did I?"

"No, you didn't," Jack agreed with amusement. "You were very brave."

Nodding contentedly, Daniel changed the subject and kept talking for the entire short journey.

When they arrived at the mall, Jack was surprised to see so many cars, much more than when he had usually taken Daniel shopping. With Christmas getting closer, he supposed that made sense. But it meant that he would have to take extra care not to lose Daniel. As he helped his little brother out of the car, Jack instructed, "Now, I want you to stay close to me all the time, kiddo. There's going to be lots of people here doing their own shopping so if we get separated, I want you to stay in that spot and wait for me to find you, okay?"

"Okay." Daniel reached up and held onto his brother's hand; he wasn't going to let go because he didn't want to lose Jack. When they went into the mall, Daniel moved closer to Jack, not liking all the people rushing around and the loud talking noises that they made. It had been different in Egypt and not so scary, and it definitely didn't have the same kind of nice smells here.

After searching through several shops that stocked children's clothing, they finally found a plaid shirt. It was blue and white, and Daniel bounced with excitement. "Can we get it please, Jack? Pleeeeease?" It was his favourite colour and everything.

"Let's try it on," Jack suggested. He sorted through the shirts and found a couple in different sizes, and then took Daniel to the fitting room. They went into a spare cubicle, Jack explaining why they needed to try on the shirts in a private place to a confused Daniel, who wasn't used to trying on clothes.

Not entirely grasping the concept of trying clothes on to get the right size - his mommy always seemed to get the right clothes for him without this - Daniel frowned while Jack helped him out of his sweater and long-sleeved top, and then into the shirt. His frown transformed into a smile when he saw himself in the mirror. "I like it, Jack! Can we get this one please?" Then he would be just like Jack and be able to wear it when he wanted to get dirty.

"I think this one is a little big," Jack commented, seeing how the sleeves went down over Daniel's hands. On the other hand, didn't kids grow fast? Should he get it slight bigger so Daniel could grow into it or should he get the smaller size so that it fitted better now? Jack sighed; he wished he had someone to ask. Maybe he should call Iris... no. He could make this decision by himself. After all, how hard could it be after being in charge of a unit in Iraq?

_On second thoughts_... Jack decided that this could actually be harder as he dressed Daniel in the smaller shirt. It was a good fit, better than the other one. So should he get it or not? He checked the price tag - it wasn't too expensive but considering he was going to have to get other clothes later on... he would get the one that was bigger. But what if Daniel wore it out before he grew out of it? How did parents make these kind of decisions anyway?

Jack sat back on his heels and continued to think the decision through. Being winter, Daniel wouldn't have much of a chance to wear it out between now and February because it would soon be too cold to play outside much. So maybe there was a chance of him growing into it before it wore out. _No more changing my mind_, Jack told himself as he got Daniel dressed in his other clothes; _we'll get the bigger one_.

Daniel held onto Jack's hand as they left the changing room, bouncing happily. "Can I wear it when we get home, Jack? Please? And you can wear yours too!"

"We'll see," Jack answered non-committally. Buying clothes for himself was so easy but he had the feeling that until he got used to this, getting clothes for Daniel was going to take an awful lot of thought.

When they got home some time later, Jack allowed Daniel to put on his new shirt - he turned the heater up so that the kid wouldn't get cold - and then he gathered the little boy onto his lap, ready to cut his fingernails.

"Wait!" Daniel wriggled off Jack's lap and ran into his bedroom. When he came back, Jack saw that he had transferred the sticker from his sweater to the shirt. "I'm ready now," Daniel announced as he climbed back onto his brother's lap and held out both hands.

"All right then." Jack took one little hand and held it steady while he retrieved the nail scissors with the other. _This is going to be an interesting experience_, he thought, deciding to start with the largest nail and work his way down to the smallest one so by then, he might actually know what he was doing.

To his relief, Daniel sat still the whole time, carrying on a monologue about some dead guy or girl who made a ship out of fingernails or something - Jack wasn't really listening to the details as he was concentrating on his task. When he finished with the fingernails, he got Daniel to take his slippers and socks off so that the toenails could be done too.

"Tickles!" Daniel exclaimed when Jack tried to bring one foot closer.

Deciding that he wasn't going to be able to do this with Daniel on his lap, Jack shifted the giggling kid off to the side and lifted the small feet so that they rested across his thighs. "I'll try not to tickle too much," he promised and put his hand on Daniel's left foot.

With a squeal of laughter, Daniel squirmed in his brother's grip. "Jack, tickles!"

"Hold still, Danny," Jack ordered, trying to keep a grip on the kid's foot.

"But it tickles!" Daniel protested, giggling away. "Mommy used to make my feet tickle too!"

"You mean, Mom used to tickle your feet," Jack automatically corrected him as he tried to find a grip on Daniel's foot that wouldn't make the little boy squirm.

"That's what I said," Daniel stated. He pulled his foot away from Jack and cradled it to his chest in an excellent display of flexibility.

Jack simply took hold of the other foot, making sure to keep his fingers on the side of the foot so he wouldn't tickle the sole. Then he quickly clipped the nails as best he could. "There, one done," he stated as he put the foot down. "Give me your other foot, Danny."

"No, you already have two!" Daniel started giggling at his own joke and fell backwards on the couch, letting go of the foot he was protecting.

Jack grabbed the foot, did the nails quickly, and then let go, pleased to have got that job done. Now he needed to tackle the ears. "Danny, come and sit here," he ordered, patting his thighs in invitation.

"Can I do some jigsaw now?" Daniel asked, tired of having to stay on the couch.

"In a minute. I just have to do this first," Jack replied. When Daniel made no move to obey, Jack picked up him and sat him down on his lap. "Now, you have to sit still because I have to clean your ears." Not a prospect he was looking forward to.

"Why?" Daniel questioned, disobeying the order by looking up at Jack.

"Because if there's too much wax in there, then you won't be able to hear," Jack stated, paraphrasing some half-remembered fact. "So sit still." This last order was said in a very firm tone of voice.

Daniel recognised that and sat very still. Until the cotton bud went into his ear and he let out another giggle. "Jack, that tickles too!"

"Sit. Still." As a soldier, Jack had an endless amount of patience but as a brother and surrogate father, he hadn't yet learnt that skill. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can do your jigsaw."

That sounded fair to Daniel and so he did his best to sit still for his brother. He giggled quietly to himself when the cotton bud tickled but fought the temptation to squirm, keeping his eyes on the jigsaw puzzle which would be his reward. "Is there going to be snow tomorrow?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I don't know. Maybe," Jack replied as he inspected both of Daniel's ears and decided that he had done a good job. "Okay, all done."

"Yeah!" Daniel slid off Jack's lap and hurried over to the jigsaw puzzle. When he got there though, he changed his mind about doing it because he didn't want to sit still again. "Jack, can I listen to 'The Wiggles' please."

Jack checked his watch - still some time before dinner. He could let Daniel burn off some energy for awhile. "Why not?" He went over to the CD player, put the disc in and pressed 'play'.

Daniel ran out of the room and came back a few moments later with Thoth and Taweret. "They like to dance," he explained to Jack as he and the toys started moving to the music.

With an amused smile, Jack watched Daniel dance for a minute before putting the scissors and cotton buds away. Then he came back with the newspaper and settled himself down on the couch so that he could read and supervise at the same time.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed in their usual routine. Daniel pouted for a moment when Jack took the band-aid off his arm but was distracted by the thought that he still had the sticker to prove how brave he had been. And after Daniel went to sleep, Jack rang Sara to finalise the plans for the next date and they ended up talking for an hour. So by the time Jack went to bed a couple of hours after that, he was feeling that he'd had a very good day.


	36. Chapter 36

Sorry for the long wait everyone – amid a variety of excuses, my muse and I couldn't agree on whether Sam should be in this part. I eventually won, and Sam is in here (for all those who were waiting for her next appearance). I hope this satisfies in some way :) Thank you all for waiting patiently.

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**Part 36 - More Bits and Pieces**

**Thursday, 11th December**

Daniel was bright and early the next morning to see if it had snowed again. He clambered onto the chest, then parted the curtains and peered out the window. Nose and hands pressed against the window as he looked at the green grass with disappointment. Why hadn't it snowed? The window was cold which meant it was cold outside which meant it was supposed to snow because it only snowed when it was cold. Indignant, Daniel climbed down, put on his monkey slippers and robe, and ran into his brother's room. "Jack, wake up!" he called from a safe distance.

Jack woke with a start and it took a few seconds to realise that it was Daniel who had woken him. "Daniel?" What on earth was the kid doing up so early? Was something wrong?

"There's no snow! Make it snow, Jack," Daniel ordered with all the authority he could muster - which wasn't much - as he approached the bed.

Oy. Jack relaxed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Daniel, don't scare me like that. I thought something bad had happened."

"But there's no snow!" Daniel thought that was something bad.

"Danny," Jack said as he sat up and lifted the kid onto his lap, "that could have waited until I was awake. If there's an emergency like the house being on fire or if you had an accident, then you can come and wake me up."

Daniel's bottom lip trembled at Jack's words. "But-but what if I have a bad dream?" If he wasn't allowed to wake Jack up for that, who would comfort him and tell him not to be scared?

"That's okay too," Jack told him. He stroked Daniel's back comfortingly. "But things like snow can wait a little longer because that's not scary, is it?"

Daniel thought about that for a few seconds and then shook his head. "So I should only wake you if I'm scared?"

"Or if you're hurt or accidentally wet the bed," Jack added, hoping that Daniel now understood what constituted an emergency. "Okay?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed unenthusiastically. His parents had let him wake them up every morning, and he had enjoyed snuggling with them in the big bed. He liked doing that with Jack too except they hadn't had too many chances to do that yet.

Seeing that he had kind of spoiled the mood, Jack added, "Or sometimes if it's really exciting, like Christmas or your birthday, then you can wake me up." That ought to keep Daniel happy. "Now, what's this about no snow?"

Daniel perked up a little at the exception to the new rule and the fact that Jack had remembered why he had come into the bedroom in the first place. "It's cold outside 'cos the window's really cold but there's no snow. Why isn't there any snow?"

Jack sighed; why did Daniel always have to ask hard questions before breakfast? "You know, that's an excellent question to ask your teachers at day-care," he stalled.

"Don't you know? Daddy always knows everything," Daniel stated proudly, "and you're lots older than me so you've got to know lots too."

How could he argue with that logic? Although he could argue about the 'lots older' part. "Alright. For the moment, let's just say that it's got to get even colder than it is now before it snows, okay? As for the technical reason, we can look that up on the internet before dinner."

"Okay." Daniel was happy with that. "Can we have breakfast now? My tummy's hungry."

"Why not?" Jack replied, glancing at the clock. It was only about ten minutes before he would have got up anyway.

Jack saw Daniel to day-care and was just about to leave when Alice caught up with him.

"Excuse me, Captain O'Neill, but I just need to talk to you about the nativity play next week," she said.

"Sure," Jack replied, puzzled.

"As you know, Daniel is one of the wise men." When Jack nodded, Alice continued, "Well, he is going to need a costume and for various reasons, we always ask the parents to make their child's costume."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You want _me_ to make Daniel's costume?" No way! There was just no way he was going to be able to pull that off.

"That's right." Alice hid a grin at Jack's reaction. "Although I'm sure that if you ask around, some of the mothers will be glad to help you out," she suggested, thinking of all the single mothers in the group.

That sounded like a good solution to Jack. He didn't think that he should ask Janet though. "Any suggestions as to who?"

"As Daniel is good friends with Robert, it may be worth asking Mrs. Rothman," Alice stated. "She usually picks Robert around four o'clock so you could ask her then."

"Thanks, I'll do that." Anything so he didn't have to do the costume himself. Jack hurriedly left the day-care centre before Alice could tell him to make something else, although he could do carpentry. Sewing, however - no.

When he caught up with Ferretti, Jack got another indication that this wasn't going to be the best of days. "Sorry, Jack," Lou stated, "but I can't look after Daniel tonight. Mike, my brother-in-law, broke his leg last night in a car accident and will be in hospital for a couple of days. Mom's got the kids now but she can't take them overnight so I've got to look after them. I'm really sorry, Jack."

"That's okay, Lou, you've got no choice," Jack forgave him easily. But now he was left with the dilemma of what to do with Daniel tonight while he was out with Sara. "Do you know of anyone else who might be able to sit?"

Lou was about to say 'no' when he thought back a few days to when he had seen Lieutenant Carter mooning over Jack. This could be his chance to do a little bit of matchmaking - or mischief, whichever the case may be. "What about Carter? You know, the blonde scientist? Maybe she would be happy to look after Daniel."

"Carter?" For the second time that morning, Jack raised his eyebrows. He hadn't missed the doe-eyes the lieutenant frequently made at him; the woman had a serious crush. "You want me to ask someone who's interested in me if she could babysit my brother while I go on a date with someone else?" Was Lou nuts?

"Why not? It's a chance to get on your good side, and she'll think that if she does a good job with Daniel, then she'll be in with a chance with you," Lou stated logically, kind of knowing how women think about such matters. "And she's a genius, so she'll get along great with Daniel."

"Lou--" Jack didn't think this was a good idea.

"Look, you don't even have to ask her," Lou continued. "Leave it to me - I can arrange it so she'll suggest it herself. Then you'll be able to see whether she's worth dating by whether she can deal with Daniel."

Jack sighed; he wasn't comfortable with this but he desperately needed a babysitter for tonight. It was worth a try.

At the end of lunchtime in the commissary, Sam Carter finally arrived to eat something. She had been working hard on her projects for little gain because no-one had yet worked out what the symbols on the stone ring meant, and therefore, had not got it to work.

To her surprise and pleasure, Jack O'Neill was still eating with one of his friends - Ferretti, Sam thought it was. She collected some food, put it on her tray, and then headed to a table nearby where she could surreptitiously listen in on Jack's conversation. There were a few good-looking men at the base but Jack was the one she wanted the most. However, she couldn't approach him since she was of lesser rank and, as she had been told, a geek. But that didn't stop her from working out various ways to intercept him in the hopes of getting a date.

"So, I'm sorry Jack, but I can't sit Daniel tonight," Ferretti was saying.

"Great," Jack groaned in frustration. "Where am I supposed to get a sitter for tonight then?"

Sam's eyes lit up; this was her chance. Okay, so it wasn't a date with Jack but it was the next best thing - going to his house and making friends with his little brother. She didn't have any idea how to look after a child but she was sure that she could get a few pointers from Janet later today. Sam turned in her seat and said, "Uh, excuse me, Captain, I couldn't help overhearing that you need a sitter tonight."

Jack ignored the look Lou sent him and replied, "That's right." He couldn't believe that a genius was falling for this. "Do you have any experience?"

"Sure. I have a niece." Which was perfectly true - Sam just hadn't babysat her because she and her brother Mark weren't talking at the moment.

"Then come around tonight, 1830 hours," Jack said, then gave her the address.

"No problem." Sam waited until Jack and Ferretti had gone before grinning so hard, her fact hurt. Step one had been achieved. Now all she had to do was get through the evening.

Outside the commissary, Lou started laughing. "See, I told you she would do it," he said to Jack, who wasn't amused.

"Yeah, but how is she going to react when she thinks it through?" Jack wanted to know, feeling somewhat guilty. He didn't like to lead women on if he wasn't going to follow through, and while he was dating Sara, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't have time - or possibly, the inclination - to date anyone else.

"Jack, relax." Lou slapped him on the back. "Everything will be fine."

Somehow, Jack wasn't so sure.

Mrs. Gina Rothman, an average-looking woman with the same black hair as her son, was waiting for Jack when he arrived at day-care later. Robert and Daniel were over in the corner of the room building a pyramid out of blocks, and Jack was about to go over to them when he was approached.

"Hello, I'm Gina Rothman, Robert's mother," she introduced herself. "I hear that you might need some help with Daniel's costume."

"Uh, yeah, you could say that." Jack thought that was an understatement. "I don't have a clue what to do," he continued, sensing he was safe in confessing that. "And I'm not that great at sewing."

Gina chuckled. "Most men that I know aren't either. You probably don't own a sewing machine then."

"Nope." That was something he had happily lived without since moving out of home. If something ripped too badly, then he either got rid of it or took it to Iris for her to fix.

"Well then, you'd better bring Daniel over to my house. Would this weekend suit you?" she asked.

"Daniel and I are going away for the weekend," Jack replied, remembering that he had to pack tonight so they could leave for the cabin straight after day-care tomorrow. "What about Monday?"

"That would be fine. Do you want me to take Daniel straight from here or will you drive him?"

"Uh..." Which would be better? Jack couldn't decide. "I'll let you know on Monday morning, if that's okay." By then, he would know whether Daniel was going to be tired and cranky after a weekend away.

Gina nodded. "That's fine." She got a pen and paper out of her purse, and scribbled on it for a minute before handing it to Jack. "That's our phone number and address. I'll pick out some material for Daniel's costume while I'm getting Robert's and then on Monday, I can just do the fitting and sewing."

"Sounds good," Jack agreed. He wouldn't even know where to start.

"Jack!" The little blonde whirlwind that went by the name of Daniel raced towards his big brother. "Guess what?" He lifted his arms towards Jack.

Obeying the hint, Jack picked the kid up and settled him onto one hip. "Santa Claus came early?"

"Noooo," Daniel said, giggling at Jack's inability to guess. "We practised the nativ-ty play today and I did real good, and I didn't forget my lines but Ellie, who's the angel, forgotted all the time and Miss Alice had to keep telling her what they were. I should've been the angel, Jack, 'cos I would 'member all the time."

"You would remember, would you?" Jack teased, tickling Daniel's stomach, causing the little boy to giggle again.

"Jaaack." Daniel squirmed in his brother's arms. "Let me down, I have to get my pack and my drawing 'cos we've got to go home and look up snow."

Jack put Daniel down and as he ran off, turned to see Gina's quizzical look. "He wants to know about everything," he explained.

"Ah." Gina smiled, knowing what that was like. "I'd better take Robert home. I'll see you on Monday."

"See you then," Jack agreed. He turned back just in time to see Daniel running towards him. "Hey, slow down, kiddo. There's no rush."

"Okay." Daniel slowed to a quick walk and held out his picture when he reached Jack. "We had to paint winter things so I painted snow but white didn't work so I painted the grass and left spots where the snow was."

Jack looked at the splotchy painting and hid a grin; Daniel's logic was flawless. Other kids his age probably would have picked a different colour for the snow but Daniel had to go for accuracy - although the grass looked like someone had splattered the paint everywhere. "It's very nice."

"And I painted me and you and Grandpa Nick playing in the snow," Daniel continued, pointing to the stick figures in turn. 'His' figure had a blue coat on while the other two were naked. "I forgotted what you and Grandpa Nick was wearing yesterday and then the teacher said we had to stop and do other things so I didn't get to paint your coats."

"That's fine," Jack assured him, holding onto the picture so that he could lead Daniel out to the car. He could tell Daniel was going to be talkative tonight.

At home, Jack put the painting up on the fridge while Daniel got changed into his checked shirt, and then he switched the computer on. The two of them spent fifteen minutes learning everything about snow, and Daniel was very satisfied at the end of that time, pleased to have learnt something new.

They spent some time getting everything packed for the trip to the cabin - with Daniel wanting to take everything and Jack putting half of the things back - and then they both sat down in front of the television and put 'Atlantis' on to watch. Daniel was soon enthralled with the adventure and didn't want to stop for dinner. Since it was a simple meal, and Jack wasn't eating anyway since he was going out later, he let Daniel eat in the living room as a special treat - and he made sure to emphasise that it wasn't going to happen every meal.

When the movie was finished, Jack gave Daniel a quick bath and then started getting changed for his date with Sara. He had just finished dressing when the doorbell rang.

"Is that Lou? Is he going to make another Super-dooper chocolate milkshake?" Daniel asked eagerly, bouncing up and down on Jack's bed.

"Actually, no, it's not Lou," Jack said as he lifted Daniel into his arms and carried him out to the front door. "Lou couldn't come tonight so it's someone else." He opened the door and saw Lieutenant Carter standing there, a laptop bag in one hand, and her body language portraying how nervous she was feeling. "Hi."

"Hi." Sam smiled at Jack and then at the little boy in his arms. "You must be Daniel. I'm Sam."

Daniel frowned. "You're a girl." He wanted Lou because Lou was lots of fun. Grown-up girls weren't fun, except for his mommy and Grandma Iris and cousin Sophie.

"Yes, I am," Sam said, thrown by the comment but recovering quickly. Jack stood back to allow her to enter the house, which she promptly did.

"Do you know how to make Super-dooper chocolate milkshakes?" Daniel questioned next.

"Uh..." Sam didn't know how to answer that one.

"Daniel, be good," Jack gently scolded his little brother as he carried the kid into the kitchen. "Everyone does things differently so Sam might be able to make something else." He hoped that she could because if Daniel decided to be difficult, Sam would have a bad time of it. "How about you go work on your jigsaw?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed reluctantly; he wasn't at all sure about this. Besides, Sam reminded him of Sara, and although he thought the latter was okay, he didn't really know this woman yet.

"Sorry about that," Jack apologised when Daniel had left the kitchen. "He's always like that around new people."

"It's fine. We just have to get to know each other," Sam replied, hoping that was true.

"Yeah." Jack had a bad feeling about this. Taking a piece of paper off the fridge, he said, "Well, here is the list of his allergies. Don't let him eat or get near any of these. He's already eaten so he won't need anything else, although a drink of milk or juice or water is allowable. His bedtime is preferably 1930 hours but it may take awhile to get him there so try to make sure he's in bed by 2000 hours at the latest." He didn't want to deal with a cranky child tomorrow when they were going to the cabin.

"If he wants to call me to say goodnight, my cell phone number is also on the fridge," Jack continued. "He likes to be read to and make sure you do the voices, because he loves that. Any questions?"

"Um..." Sam was feeling a little out of her depth; give her quantum physics any day of the week! "No, I don't think so."

Jack nodded, hoping he was doing the right thing leaving Daniel with Carter. "Good. If you run out of ideas, tell him to get the Lego out or his alphabet book."

"Lego or alphabet book, right." That would come in handy because she didn't have a clue what to do with him in the first place.

Jack headed back into the living room where Daniel was diligently working on the jigsaw. He sat down on the couch next to his brother and lifted the little boy onto his lap. "I'm going to head out now so you be good for Sam, okay? Go to bed when she tells you to so that you're not tired for our trip tomorrow."

"Can't I come with you?" Daniel questioned, snuggling against Jack's chest.

"We've talked about this before," Jack gently reprimanded him, wishing that he had told Daniel about this sooner rather than have Carter listening in. "Besides, you'll have a good time with Sam. You can tell her all about Egypt and stuff, and show her how to build a pyramid."

Daniel contemplated this carefully, sneaking a look at this new lady. Maybe she would be okay. "Don't forget to wake me when you come home. Last time you almost forgotted."

"Ah, I didn't forget, you just didn't wake up properly," Jack pointed out. "But I'll try to make sure you know this time, okay?"

"Yeahsure, youbetcha," Daniel used his favourite new phrase.

Jack ruffled Daniel's hair and then set his brother down on the couch. Turning to Carter, he said, "I'll probably be home around 2300 hours. I hope you can fill in the time until then."

Sam nodded, smiling a little nervously; she didn't like the reminder that Jack was going on a date. "I brought some work to do." She had already thought that far ahead.

"Good." Jack leaned over and placed a kiss on the top of Daniel's head, then stood up. "Have fun, you two. I'll be back soon." He gathered up his keys and wallet, and headed out the door.

Daniel looked at Sam and she looked back. What were they going to do now?


	37. Chapter 37

I'm so sorry for the silence but this part just did not want to be written. Also, I've had a few other distractions as well, so I didn't get to do as much writing as I wanted to. But thank you in advance to all those who have waited patiently, and I promise to try and get the next part done much sooner. It should probably be the first part of the trip to the cabin, so there'll be plenty of angst as Jack tries to get rid of his old memories.

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The staring went on for a full minute before the silence was broken by the telephone. Sam had just opened her mouth to say something - what, she didn't know - and jumped when the shrill ring of the phone startled her. She wasn't going to answer it but when Daniel started bouncing on the chair, saying something about 'Grandma Iris', Sam decided she should probably pick up. Holding the handset to her ear, she tentatively said, "Hello?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before a woman's voice stated, Hello. Could I please speak to Jack O'Neill?

"Uh, he's out at the moment," Sam replied.

What about Daniel?

"He's here. Just hold on." Sam held the phone out to Daniel, who took it enthusiastically.

"Grandma Iris!" he exclaimed. He figured it would be her because she rang at about the same time every couple of days. 

Daniel, Iris said with much warmth in her voice. Who answered the phone?

"That was Sam. Jack's on a date and Sam is looking after me," Daniel informed her, his little legs swinging and banging against the edge of the couch. "We haven't done anything yet 'cos Jack hasn't gone long. Are you coming for the nativ-ty play soon?" he changed the subject. "Robert's mommy is going to make my costume and make me a king!"

That sounds wonderful, Daniel, Iris enthused. Yes, Grandpa Tom and I are coming down and we're going to stay over Christmas as well. She was planning on giving Jack some tips on what to buy for her youngest grandson.

"Yay! We're going to get a Christmas tree, and I have a star to put on it, but we're not going to the North Pole to get the tree 'cos Jack says that we can get them here," Daniel rambled on, happy to be talking with his grandma. Sam watched the little boy's enthusiastic face as he was talking about all the events of the past couple of days. Daniel seemed like a bright, happy boy but not around new people. She would have to think of something soon to make him like her, otherwise he would tell Jack and there would go her hopes of a date. 

"Bye-bye!" Daniel said before he handed the phone back to Sam. "Hang up now," he ordered her.

Sam obeyed and then turned back to her charge for the evening. "So…" she started to say.

"I have to write Jack a message," Daniel proclaimed and he hurried off to his room. Coming back, crayons and a piece of paper in hand, he knelt at the table and started writing, sounding out the words as he went. He got as far as 'Grandma Iris ra-' before he got stuck. "How do you write 'ng'?" he asked, unable to sound it out.

She spelt it out and watched the little boy write down the letters, his tongue poking out between his lips as he concentrated. Sam had been a smart child herself so she wasn't greatly surprised by Daniel's ability. 

"Grandma Iris says to put in on the fridge so that Jack sees it when he gets home," Daniel stated when he had finished writing. He had added 'litle forks' because Grandma Iris had said that he needed to tell Jack that he needed littler things to eat with because big things were messy and hard to hold. Daniel frowned as he looked at what he had written. Something didn't look right. "Did I spell things right?" he asked Sam, holding up the piece of paper for her to see.

"Almost," Sam replied. "You need to put another 't' in 'little'. Right there," she said, pointing to the correct place.

"Okay." Daniel wrote the extra letter squashed in between two others. "All done," he proclaimed happily. Picking the piece of paper up, he took it out to the kitchen and looked for a place to put it on the fridge. "Sam!" he called for help when he realised that he couldn't reach the magnets.

"What? Oh," Sam said as she came into the kitchen and saw Daniel trying to reach the magnets. "I'll get that." She took the note out of his hands and stuck it on the fridge.

Daniel grinned happily. "Thank you! Now Jack will see that when he gets home and I'll be able to tell him all about Grandma Iris ringing!" That was something to look forward to.

iO-kay/i, Sam thought to herself. "So, what do you want to do?" she asked the little boy.

Daniel frowned in thought for a moment and then his face brightened. "Can you teach me the song about the reindeer with the red nose? Jack said he was going to teach me it but he forgotted." He hadn't remembered either because there was so many other things to do like go to day-care and play with his Legos and have a bath every night and read his books. 

"Rudolph?" Sam queried. It had been a long time since she had sung that particular song - or any other Christmas songs - that she wasn't sure that she remembered it all. "I think I can. Okay, repeat after me--"

"Wait!" Daniel ran off to his bedroom again and came back with another sheet of paper. "Write the words down and then we can sing it together," he instructed eagerly, holding out a blue crayon for Sam to take.

The words? Sam searched her memory frantically to recall what the words to the song were. When she thought that she had them, Sam started writing. Daniel watched her keenly, sounding out the words as they appeared on the page.

"What's that one?" he asked, pointing to one at the end of the first line.

"Reindeer," Sam replied as she continued to write.

"Rein-deer," Daniel echoed, committing the word to memory before looking at the next lot of words. "Why did they laugh at him? That was mean," he said a minute later. 

"Um, I think it was because his red nose made him different to the others," Sam stated, not really having stopped to think about that before. 

"But that's no reason to be mean," Daniel pointed out, very indignant that the reindeer treated Rudolph so badly. "Mommy always said we shouldn't make fun of people who are different to us because it's not nice and we wouldn't like it if they made fun of us 'cos we're different to other people too."

Sam sorted through that sentence in her head and said, "That's right. Some people make fun of me because I'm smarter than they are and you're right, it's not nice. That's why I try not to do the same thing." She didn't make fun of people who were different but she had to admit that she had her prejudices just like everyone else. 

"What does smarter mean?" Daniel inquired curiously.

"Well, smart means that you're very clever or can do something very well, and so smarter means that you're better at something than other people," Sam tried to explain.

"Daddy says I have an ap-ti-toode for languages," Daniel informed her, swinging his legs against the edge of the couch. "Does that mean I'm smart? I can speak three-and-a-half languages." He held up the right number of fingers.

Sam was quite impressed; she only knew English and high school Spanish, although she had picked up some Latin terms in her study of astronomy and physics. Imagine a four-year-old knowing more languages than her! "That means that you're smart at languages, yes," she agreed. She didn't know how good he was at anything else so she felt she had to qualify her statement.

"Is being smart good?" was Daniel's next question; after all, he didn't want to tell anyone he was smart if they were going to be mean like Adam.

"Most of the time, it can be good but some people who aren't smart don't like those who are," Sam stated, knowing about this from personal experience. All through school, she had been teased because she was naturally good at maths and sciences. That had annoyed her but she figured that she would have the last laugh since she was at Cheyenne Mountain as part of the 'Doorway to Heaven' project, which promised to be wonderful if only they could get the giant ring to work. If she was the one to get it to work, then everyone would respect her abilities. "But if you get do to great things because you're smart, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks," she continued.

Daniel thought that through and then nodded. "Daddy is really smart 'cos he knows that the pyramids are older than everyone says, and that the Sphinx is older too, and other people make fun of him but they're wrong and he's right," he said in one breath. "And Mommy is really smart too 'cos she knows lots of words and stories, and she knows lots about things that happened in the past." He was very proud of having smart parents, and was pleased to be like them.

iHe's not using past tense/i, Sam noted; that was interesting. Maybe it was because he was only young and didn't know how to change the tense to talk about people who had died. Or maybe he didn't want to admit they were gone; she had been like that when her mother had died ten years ago.

"What happens next in the song?" Daniel questioned, changing back to the original topic.

Sam quickly wrote the next couple of lines down while Daniel read the words. "What are reindeer games?" he asked.

"Um, I don't really know," Sam said; she had never really thought about that before. "Maybe 'chasey'," she suggested.

"Jack and I played 'chasey'!" Daniel shared enthusiastically. "He chased me and then I chased him and then I fell down and got ouchies on my hands but Jack fixed them." He held up his hands to show Sam where the scrapes had been.

Sam didn't really didn't know what to say to that but she ventured, "I bet that hurt."

"A little but then Jack kissed my ouchies and made them better," Daniel told her. 

That statement amused Sam, and it made her wonder how good a kisser Jack was. Hopefully, she would find out one day soon; the fact that he was currently out on a date with someone else didn't deter her fantasy. 

"What's next?" Daniel pulled Sam's mind back to the task at hand. He watched eagerly as she wrote more words, curious at to what had happened next to poor Rudolph. When he read that Santa had chosen Rudolph to lead the sleigh - he had to ask what that word was and was able to associate it with the sleigh that his Grandpa Nick had told him about a few days ago - he cheered, happy for the red-nosed reindeer. "The other reindeer were sorry they were mean, weren't they? Did they say sorry?"

"Most likely," Sam stated. 

"Good." That helped to satisfy Daniel's sense of justice. "Now let's sing it!"

Sam cleared her throat a couple of times; she really hadn't been prepared for singing tonight but she would give it a go. She started singing, doing one line at a time and then letting Daniel copy her. After a couple of times through, they sang the whole song together, both of them off-key but enjoying themselves.

"Let's play 'Snap' now," Daniel suddenly announced after the second full rendition of 'Rudolph'; he knew it well enough to sing to Jack tomorrow. He ran and got the cards, then brought them back to the living room. "Do you know how to play?" he asked as he climbed onto the couch again.

"I'm not sure," Sam replied, thinking back to her youth. She had been so focused on being smart that she had missed out on some of the typical childhood things like card games. 

"Well, we have to start with the same amount of cards," Daniel explained authoritatively. "Then we each put one down and when the cards match, you have to put your hands on the cards and shout 'snap'! And then the person with all the cards at the end wins!" He really liked this game because it was lots of fun!

"Okay." Sam figured that she would be able to get the hang of it easily but she would have to be careful not to win all the time. Janet had warned her that kids don't like losing a lot so she would have to try and balance the game. 

"Now, you give us equal cards," Daniel instructed, handing the set of cards over because he wanted to make sure that they were dealt correctly. Then he watched like a hawk, counting along with Sam to ensure that they each got twenty-six cards each. "Okay, now I put a card down, and then you put one down." He lay down a seven of hearts.

Sam put a Queen of Spades on top of his. "That's not the same number," Daniel told her, "so we have to put down another card each."

And so the game went on, Sam learning how to play very quickly. She soon found herself having a wonderful time, laughing good-naturedly whenever Daniel beat her to the cards. To her surprise, they were fairly evenly matched as the little boy had a keen eye and fast hands.

After nearly ten minutes, Sam finally called a halt to the game as no-one had yet won - a fact Daniel protested. "I know," Sam said, "but I think we should call that game a draw."

Daniel thought about that and decided that was fair. "Okay. Can I have a Super-dooper chocolate milkshake now?" he asked, forgetting that Sam couldn't make them.

"Uh, I don't know how," Sam admitted again. "How about you show me your Lego?" she suggested, thinking that the activity might take up the rest of the time until she could put Daniel to bed.

"Oh!" Daniel was immediately side-tracked from wanting his milkshake. "Jack said I should show you how to build a pyramid!" And he sped off to his bedroom to fetch the bucket of Lego and mat. Then he was back quickly and started to set everything up in the centre of the living room. He had got over his shyness with Sam now because she was proving to be okay for a grown-up girl. "It's real tricky," Daniel stated as he got started with the pyramid. "But you can copy me if you want to. Or you can build something else."

"Thank you," Sam said as she joined Daniel on the floor and started picking out Lego blocks to attempt a pyramid.

Daniel patiently instructed her on how to build a pyramid, remembering to fill in the middle so that the walls didn't fall in. He also shared some of the things he had been taught about pyramids and Egypt, barely pausing to take a breath as he got into full flow. So it was with some reluctance that Sam told him that it was bedtime at 1945 hours because she was enjoying the monologue. iDaniel is definitely very smart/i, she thought when she realised just how much he knew at such a young age; iI hope Jack realises this and helps him reach his full potential/i. Of course, if she ended up dating and then marrying Jack, then she would be able to help Daniel fulfil his potential and that would be wonderful achievement. 

Full of energy, Daniel went off to complete his bathroom rituals, bouncing up and down on his toes as he was brushing his teeth. He didn't want to go to bed but he knew that Jack wanted him to do what he was told, otherwise there might be consequences and Daniel didn't want to find out what they were, especially since they were going to the cabin tomorrow. "Can I ring Jack?" he begged as he climbing into bed.

"Sure." Sam went and brought the portable phone into the bedroom. She dialled the number Jack had given her and then handed the phone over to Daniel. 

"Hi, Jack!" Daniel said as soon as he heard his brother's voice. 

Hey, kiddo, Jack replied. Having fun?

"Yep! We played 'Snap' and builded pyramids and Sam taught me the song about Rudolph," Daniel shared enthusiastically. "And now she's going to read me a story."

Wow, that sounds great, Jack agreed. 

"Are you having fun too?" Daniel asked, not wanting to hang up because that would mean that it was story time and after that, he would have to go to sleep.

Oh yes, definitely, came the amused answer.

They chatted for another few minutes before Jack disconnected the call. Daniel handed the phone back to Sam and snuggled down under the bed cover. Then he remembered that he hadn't got a book for Sam to read so he crawled to the end of his bed where his bookshelf was and retrieved his favourite book; it was always a good one to see if people could do the different voices and then he would know whether they were people he could like. "This one," he said, handing the book to Sam.

"O-kay." Sam took a look at the title: 'Androcles and the Lion'. Oh boy. "And you want the voices?"

"Uh-huh." Daniel nodded vigorously. This was going to be fun! "I'm ready," he announced.

iI'm not/i, Sam thought as she opened the book. She'd never had to do stories with different voices before and she didn't want to fail in the task, even if her only critic would be a four-year-old boy. She took a deep breath and started reading, determined to do her best.

Daniel listened keenly, giving Sam some hints as to how lions roared when she seemed at a loss. At the end, he decided that she wasn't too bad but needed a lot of practise to get the voices right, like his mommy could, and like Jack, and Lou, and Grandma Iris could as well. He gave Sam a big smile as praise and then snuggled down under his covers. "Can you check for monsters please?" he asked, holding Thoth close.

"Monsters?" Janet hadn't mentioned anything about that in her debrief. Oh well - she had better go with the flow. "Uh, where do they usually hide?"

Daniel pointed towards his wardrobe and then under the bed. "They like dark places," he solemnly informed her. 

"Right." Sam dutifully checked under the bed and then in the wardrobe, pretending to search for monsters - of what kind, she wasn't at all sure. She felt silly but reasoned that Jack probably had to do this every night so there was no harm in doing it this once. "I can't find anything," she reported after a quick check of the wardrobe. "Think you can go to sleep now?"

"I'm not tired," Daniel decided. "Can you read me another story?" It wasn't time for Jack to come home yet so he didn't want to go to sleep. 

Sam checked the time - it was now after 2000 hours, which meant that Daniel was supposed to be asleep. "I don't think that would be a good idea. You're supposed to go to sleep now."

"But I don't want to," Daniel whined, giving Sam his best pout. 

"I know but you've already called Jack and told him that you were going to sleep, remember?" Sam tried to reason with him but found it hard to ignore the pout. "So that means that you have to do that."

"Uh-uh," Daniel disagreed. If he wasn't tired, then he wasn't going to go to sleep. 

"Um…" Sam quickly sorted through all the advice Janet had given her; why didn't there seem to be that much on getting children to go to sleep except to be firm with them? "You have to get a good sleep tonight because I'm sure Jack will want to do something fun this weekend," she tried, hoping that might work.

"We're going to the cabin in Minnie-something," Daniel shared, not quite remembering the name properly. Waving his hands about excitedly, he continued, "Jack's going to fly us in an airplane and go 'vrrrmmm'! I'm a good airplane. Wanna see?" He started to get out of bed.

"Not right now," Sam said, catching the little boy before he could get too far. "You're supposed to go to sleep and when you wake up, Jack will be here."

Daniel flopped back, thwarted in his attempt to stay up longer. "But I don't want to go to sleep," he complained. 

"Well, you have to," Sam resorted to saying. "Otherwise Jack won't be very happy when he gets home."

After doing a little more pouting, Daniel curled up under the covers again, Thoth hold against his chest. He didn't want to make Jack unhappy, so he would just have to lie in bed until Jack came home and pretend to be asleep but really be awake. He'd had a stern talking to his eyelids, who were often known to make him fall asleep when he didn't want to, and he was fairly sure that they would co-operate this time. "Okay. Goodnight, Sam."

"Goodnight, Daniel." She turned off the overhead light but didn't realise that she needed to turn the nightlight on. So she had barely got back to the living room when she realised that the little boy was trailing her. "Daniel?"

"You have to turn the little light on," Daniel informed her, pleased with having an excuse to get out of bed. "I'll show you." He took her hand and pulled her back towards his bedroom, then showed her the nightlight. "Jack says I'm not s'pposed to touch it."

"Right." Sam switched the nightlight on and then helped Daniel back into bed. "Is that better?"

"Uh-huh." His room was less scary now. He closed his eyes, pretending to go to sleep, but when Sam left the room, Daniel got out of bed and went to his bookshelf. Retrieving one of his favourite books, he crawled back into bed and started to read in the dim light. A few minutes later, book lying open on his chest, Daniel's eyes betrayed him and he fell asleep.

Unaware of what her baby-sitting charge was doing, Sam had gone into the living room and started her laptop up. The next couple of hours went very quickly for her as she studied up on a new development in astrophysics, so she was startled when the front door opened and Jack walked in. She smiled at him and stood up. "How was your evening?" she asked in a friendly voice, remembering not to call him 'Captain'. 

"It was good," Jack replied casually. It had actually been better than good; he had really enjoyed Sara's company, and the movie they had gone to see had been excellent. The more he saw of Sara, the more he liked her. "How did you go with Daniel?"

"Piece of cake, si--, uh, Jack," Sam stated, exaggerating only a slight bit. "He didn't really want to go to sleep but I convinced him to stay in bed."

"Good. Uh, do you know what the going rate for baby-sitting is?" Jack asked awkwardly. Lou hadn't wanted to be paid for looking after Daniel so Jack wasn't entirely sure what the etiquette was. 

"Don't worry about it," Sam waved it off. "I was happy to do it. Daniel's a good kid," she said sincerely. 

"Yes, he is," Jack agreed. He didn't know what else to say and the silence began to stretch out.

"Well, I'd better get going," Sam finally said, feeling a little uncomfortable because of the silence. "I'll see myself out," she added, hoping that Jack wouldn't take any notice of that and walk her out to the car or something.

"Okay. Thanks for doing this," Jack stated as he walked Sam to the door. He was struck by how similar she was to Sara and a part of him wondered what Sam would be like to take out on a date. Then he remembered that she was a scientist, even if she did wear an Air Force uniform, and that decided him; he wouldn't understand half the things she said! 

"No problem." Sam gave him an awkward smile and then went out the door. Halfway down the path, she turned to see if the door was closed - it was. She was miffed at that but then she reminded herself that he didn't really know her yet. If she was to get him, then she would have to be more conspicuous at work… somehow. Sam got into the car and drove away, planning ways to make Jack date her.

Inside the house, Jack had gone straight to Daniel's room. The first thing he noticed was the book lying open on the bed, slowly rising and falling in time to Daniel's breathing. He shook his head; his little brother had obviously tried to stay up longer but hadn't managed it. A smile on his face, he removed the book and put it back on the shelf before returning to Daniel's side. "Hey, kiddo, I'm home," he said softly.

There was no response from the sleeping child. Jack leaned over and kissed Daniel's forehead before doing the same thing with Thoth - although he would deny that action to all but his brother. "You tell Danny, okay?" he instructed the stuffed bear, who just stared at him silently.

Jack chuckled softly. "Great, now I'm talking to toys," he muttered to himself. Then he took a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and put it on the pillow where Daniel would see it in the morning. The idea had come to him earlier in the day at work, and he had sketched a picture of him kissing Daniel's forehead so that the little boy would know that Jack had fulfilled his promise to let him know when he was home. And in case Daniel didn't understand the picture, Jack had written the words 'I'm home' underneath. He didn't know how well this idea would go down but it was worth a try.

After ruffling Daniel's hair gently, Jack left the bedroom and went to his own to get ready for bed, a big smile on his face. Life was good. 


	38. To the Cabin

-1Yay! I got this one finished in three weeks!! I'm improving g .

For those of you who might have been offended in any way by my characterisation of Sam in the last part, I apologise and there is a small section in this part which does explain why Sam was acting/thinking the way she was. I am not anti-Sam, this is just the way she has turned out so far in the story.

And thank you to all those who continue to give me feedback - it's truly appreciated.

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**Part 38 - To the Cabin**

**Friday, 12th December**

When Daniel woke the next morning, the first thing he noticed was that his book was gone. Then he realised that he didn't know if Jack was home or not. Slightly panicked, he sat bolt upright, Thoth clutched in one hand, and turned ready to get out of bed. Before he could go anywhere though, he saw a piece of paper lying on his pillow. Curious, he picked it up and looked at it. It was Jack kissing him goodnight and saying 'I'm home', which was strange but at the same time, comforting. Jack had to be home otherwise the paper wouldn't have been on his pillow, Daniel reasoned.

Sliding out of bed, Daniel put his slippers and robe on before hurrying into Jack's room. He slowed down once he was in the bedroom, mindful of Jack's warning not to get too close before his brother was awake, and climbed onto the end of the bed. Also remembering the admonition not to wake him unless it was an emergency, Daniel just sat there patiently, silently willing Jack to wake up. After a minute, he got bored and started fidgeting. Then, when Jack wouldn't do the decent thing and wake up, he reached out and patted his brother's feet with his teddy bear, keeping a safe distance. And when Jack _still_ didn't wake up, Daniel became more insistent and reached over to push at the covered feet.

"What the--?" Jack woke suddenly at the touch on his feet. For a moment, he thought that he was back in Iraq and then he realised he was at home in his own bed. And his little brother had woken him.

"Jack, you're awake!" Daniel said enthusiastically, as if he didn't have a hand in helping his brother reach that state. He crawled up beside Jack and snuggled in close. "You didn't wake me when you got home but I knew you were home 'cos of the picture. Did you kiss me goodnight?" he asked, wanting assurance from the source, not just the drawing.

"I did. Thoth saw me," Jack stated, not the least bit ashamed of using the teddy bear in his defence. "Did you go to bed when Sam told you to?"

"Yep! She needs to practise being a lion though," Daniel informed him seriously. "She couldn't roar very good. But she builded a pyramid just like mine!"

"That's good then." Jack rubbed a hand over his face in an effort to wake up a little more; sudden returns to consciousness weren't always the best when trying to follow a four-year-old's conversation.

"Can we sing about Rudolph?" Daniel queried next, getting to his knees and bouncing eagerly.

"After breakfast," Jack compromised; it was way too early to be singing. Besides, he needed time to remember the words.

Daniel nodded, agreeing to that. "Sam writed the words down so we can sing it together. She sings funny," he confided, giving a little giggle as Jack ruffled his hair.

"So do you, kiddo," Jack shot back, smiling in spite of himself. It had turned out okay with Sam looking after Daniel; at least the kid had obeyed her most of the time. "By the way, if you read without the big light on, it's not good for your eyes."

"Why?" Daniel wasn't happy with his eyes because they had gone to sleep after him telling them not to.

"Because it hurts them and then you get a headache," Jack replied, remembering his mother telling him that many years ago. "Just why did you keep reading after Sam had turned the big light off?"

Daniel wasn't sure whether Jack was mad at him or not. He hugged Thoth and said, "'Cos I wasn't tired and Sam said I should go to sleep but my eyes weren't tired either and they wanted to stay up till you came home but then they went to sleep before I could finish the book."

_What a long-winded explanation_, Jack thought with some amusement. "Okay. We'll talk more about this later. Right now, I think we both need some breakfast."

"Okay!" Daniel jumped off the bed and raced into the kitchen, leaving Jack in his wake. Shaking his head, Jack hoped that Daniel would use up all his energy early and sleep for most of the trip to the cabin, or at the very least, go to bed early, because otherwise, it was going to be a very long day - for him!

Going into the kitchen, Jack immediately saw the paper with Daniel's writing on it. Wondering what it was, he took a good look at it and had to smile. 'Little forks'? That had to be Iris' idea. "Danny, what did Grandma Iris call about?"

"Oh!" Daniel had forgotten about that. "She said I need littler stuff to eat with 'cos the big stuff's messy, and she wants you to get me new stuff and to call her soon so she can tell you which stuff to get."

How many times had Daniel said 'stuff' in that sentence? "You mean new cutlery?"

"Yep. Cuttery," Daniel echoed not quite accurately. "But I didn't know the letters so I writed 'forks' instead." He swung his legs back and forth as he waited for Jack to get his breakfast. "Jack, I'm hunnn-gry."

Jack sighed; oh yeah, today was going to be a loooong day.

When Janet Fraiser joined Sam for lunch in the commissary that day, she noticed that her friend had a dreamy look on her face. Curious, she poked Sam's arm and said, "So how did the babysitting go last night?"

"Hmm?" Sam was pulled from her thoughts by the question. "Oh, uh, it was great. Daniel's a good kid."

"And Captain O'Neill?" Janet probed, a grin on her face.

"Gorgeous," Sam sighed, thinking back to how Jack looked last night. Then she looked at Janet, a serious expression on her face. "How can I get him to date me?"

Janet raised her eyebrows. "Wasn't he on a _date_ last night?"

"Yes, but--"

"Ah! No buts," Janet cut in. Although she and Sam hadn't known each other very long, Janet knew that her young friend was still very much a novice when it came to relationships. "Rule number two: Never date a man who's already seeing someone else, especially if you're wanting something long term."

"Why?" Sam didn't see why she couldn't.

"Because if he can cheat on girlfriend number one with you, then he can easily cheat on you too," Janet said, speaking from personal experience; she had been girlfriend number two, her former best friend number three.

Sam absorbed that silently. "What if he asks me out though?"

"Then you find out if he's available. If he isn't, say no unless you want to share him with someone else," Janet advised. "Never a good idea, that."

"Oh." So she shouldn't try to date him just yet. Better to let him get over his current girlfriend first. "What's rule number one?"

"Never date your best friend's guy."

"Oh," Sam said again. Since she hadn't had much time for dating as she was growing up, and none of her female friends had been into dating either, she didn't know about all these rules. "So what should I do?"

Janet grinned. "Go out, date other guys, get some experience. I know this great guy - he's a policeman but wants to be a detective. Good looking, has a sense of humour, and knows how to treat a lady nice. You interested?"

Sam hesitated before nodding. She might as well get used some dating experience. "What's his name."

"Pete Shanahan."

As Jack went to pick Daniel up from day-care that afternoon, he mused about Carter's strange behaviour. When he had seen her early in the morning, she had been all coy smiles but after lunch, she had seemed back to her normal self when he had seen her at the shooting range. He didn't know what to make of it but decided not to worry about it. He still had a long trip ahead with a talkative little boy.

Daniel was very excited when he saw Jack. He was all ready for his adventure in the small plane that Jack was going to be flying up to Minnie-something and then they were going to stay in the cabin and see if there were any fishies in the pond and probably do lots of other stuff that he couldn't think of right now. He had been so excited earlier that he'd had to have a nap, and now he was full of energy. "Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack!" He ran at his older brother and hugged his legs. "Are we going now? I told Cassie and Robert where we're going and they want to come too."

"Well, somehow I don't think their parents will let them," Jack countered. He grinned down at Daniel. "Have you got anything to bring home today?"

"We painted with our fingers today!" Daniel shared enthusiastically. He took Jack's hand and tugged him over to where the paintings were drying on a table. "I did a blue one and a green one 'cos we were allowed to do two, and it was really messy, and they made us wear shirts so that we didn't get paint on our clothes, but it was lots of fun!" he said as he pointed his 'creations' out to his brother.

"I bet." Jack had vague memories of doing finger-painting at school and having a great time. He collected the two paintings as Daniel bounced beside him. "You'd better go get your backpack so we can leave."

"Okay!" Daniel rushed off, got his coat and backpack from the peg, and then ran back to Jack. "I'm ready!" He was really eager to get going. Daniel turned to his friends and waved enthusiastically at them, calling out his goodbyes and apologising to them for Jack not letting them come with him.

After he had got settled into his car seat, Daniel started asking questions. "Did you remember to put Thoth and Khufu and Taweret in? And my blanket and my books and the Lego?"

"Yes, I did." Jack refrained from mentioning that Daniel had supervised him this morning, making sure that everything was packed.

Daniel stiffened, having a sudden thought. "Jack, will Mommy and Daddy know where we are? What if they look for us at our house and we're not there and they don't know where to find us?" That would be a very bad thing.

"They'll know where we are," Jack stated confidently. "Angels always know where to find their children and besides, Mom knows where the cabin is." The second part was true; the first part, he didn't know if it was true but it sounded good.

"Good." Daniel was very glad about that because he wouldn't want his parents to think he had gone away without telling them. "They prob'ly listened to us when we were talking about it, didn't they?" he decided, remembering what Jack had said about mommy and daddy angels being able to hear their children's words.

"Probably," Jack agreed, going with the flow.

The trip to the airport - including a quick detour to buy some cutlery for Daniel - didn't take too long, which Jack was grateful for. Once there, he took Daniel and the several bags they had packed - which was way more than he would take for himself - into one of the smaller hangars where the light aircraft were kept.

"Which one is ours?" Daniel asked as he bounced up and down by Jack's side. His backpack, containing all his important stuff like toys and small books, was on his back while his brother carried the other two bags.

"That one." Jack pointed as best he could to a small white Cessna with a blue stripe along the side of it. When he finally saved up enough money to buy a plane, he wanted one that was similar. Until then, he would just have to make do with hiring this one. "Do you like it?"

"Yep!" The blue stripe was definitely in its favour. "Can we fly now, Jack?"

"I have to do a safety check first, make sure everything's where it's supposed to be," Jack replied. He put the bags down and then crouched down in front of Daniel. "Now, I want you to be really good for me. The check takes a few minutes so while I'm doing that, I want you to sit down here and read, okay?"

Daniel nodded his agreement even though he was naturally curious about the plane. He took his pack off, hunted down a book, and then settled himself on the floor to read while Jack went over to the plane.

After a few minutes, Daniel looked up but he couldn't see Jack. Where had he gone? "Jack?" When there was no response, Daniel put his book down and then stood up, thumb heading automatically towards his mouth. Had Jack left him all alone? "Jack?" he called a little louder.

"What's up, kiddo?" Jack appeared from behind the plane.

Daniel ran over to him and hugged his leg. Good - Jack hadn't gone away.

Jack reached down to ruffle Daniel's hair, a little confused by the kid's actions. Then he remembered. "It's okay, Danny, I'm not going anywhere without you. I just have to check on stuff on the other side of the plane."

"Can I watch?" Daniel asked, not wanting to let Jack out of his sight again for the moment, not in this new place. "I'll be really, really quiet."

Jack was torn between needing to concentrate on what he was doing and reassuring Daniel of his presence. There had to be a way he could do both. He grinned as an idea came to him; there was a way. He crouched down and faced away from his brother. "Danny, climb onto my back."

Daniel obeyed immediately, showing that he had had many piggy-back rides over in Egypt. Jack stood and, making sure that Daniel wasn't going to slip down, continued on with the safety check.

True to his word, Daniel was quiet - for a few minutes. Then his curiosity got the better of him and he started asking questions. Jack gave short answers to the first few but then reminded Daniel that he needed to be quiet for a little while longer and then they would be on their way.

Finally Jack finished the safety check - with no more interruptions - and he put Daniel in the passengers seat. "Don't touch anything," he warned as he went back for their luggage. Jack put the bags behind the seats and then collected the booster seat. After arranging that on the passengers seat, he sat Daniel in it and strapped the little boy in - not an easy task when Daniel was bouncing up and down. "How's that?" he asked.

"Good. Jack, I have to go," Daniel suddenly said.

Pleased that Daniel had at least announced that _before_ they had taken off, Jack took his brother to the small bathroom near the hangar office. When Daniel was finished, they went back to the plane, buckled the seatbelts, and then Jack started the engine.

"Ooooh," Daniel said as they started moving. He could only remember flying in a big airplane on his way to America, so the difference was fascinating. He got a little bit scared when the plane went faster and left the ground but then he got interested in watching how little everything got, and all nerves were soon forgotten.

During the flight, Jack had plenty of time to answer all of Daniel's questions about the plane, and he threw in some of his Air Force stories as well - and they had a couple of renditions of 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer'. The time it took to get to Minnesota went by fast, and it was still daylight when they landed - just. Jack unpacked the plane and put all the luggage on the floor of the hangar before retrieving Daniel.

"Funny time of year to be visiting," Alex Mitchell commented as he walked up to the pair. Mitchell was in his late thirties, with short brown hair and grey eyes, and had grown up in one of the southern states. Had moved to Minnesota especially for the fishing apparently but spent a lot of his days fixing up old aircraft. He was also the caretaker for the O'Neill cabin, which hadn't seen much use in the past few years. Jack's call had surprised him greatly.

"I promised Daniel we'd come up here," Jack said as he lifted his little brother out of the plane and settled him onto one hip. "I'm Jack," he introduced himself.

"I gathered. Alex Mitchell," the other man said, shaking Jack's hand. "And you must be Daniel," Alex said, holding out his hand for the boy to shake.

At Jack's nudging, Daniel shook the man's hand and then put his arm around his big brother's neck. He had liked the plane ride and the stories that Jack had told but now he was hungry and a little tired.

"He's shy," Jack stated to Alex when Daniel snuggled close. Using his free hand, he picked up one of the bags and carried it out to where a rental car was waiting for them. Alex carried the two other bags and the booster seat while casually chatting with Jack about the weather and the likelihood of there being any fish in the pond.

"You got any kids?" Jack queried as he buckled Daniel into the car.

Alex grinned. "Cam's just turned ten now, Susie is seven, and Pete's five. I hear you're in the Air Force?"

Jack shot him a look. "How did you know that?"

"Small town," Alex chuckled. "Your grandparents filled their friends in every time they came to visit, and those friends filled everyone else in. Cam's interested in planes, so you may get a visit from him sometime. You staying for long?"

"Just till Sunday, going back after lunch." Jack got in the driver's side and wound down the window. "There food at the cabin?"

"Just what you ordered and a few special treats," Alex replied, winking at Daniel. "The wife cleaned and dusted too, and I stacked some firewood near the back door. Enjoy yourselves," he said, as Jack revved the engine.

"We will." Jack put the car in gear and then drove out of the small airport.

It only took a few minutes to get to the cabin, by which time night had fallen. Jack carried Daniel into the cabin and switched on all the lights before he put the little kid down.

"Wow," Daniel said, his eager eyes taking in his surroundings. It was a log cabin with lots of wooden furniture. The big room he was in had a table and chairs for eating at, and a couple of old couches for sitting on, and a kitchen was partially hidden at the back. "Where am I going to sleep?"

"There's a couple of bedrooms out back," Jack replied. "I'll just go and get the bags, then I'll show you." He quickly went outside, telling himself that it was just because he didn't want to leave Daniel on his own for too long; it had nothing to do with the memories associated with the place.

Back inside, he found Daniel wandering around the living room area, a small hand trailing over one of the couches. "You like it?"

"Yep." Daniel climbed onto it. "It's comfy."

"That it is," Jack agreed, forcing down the memories of snuggling up to his father on that same couch before things turned bad. "Come on, I'll show you the bedrooms."

Daniel bounded over and took hold of Jack's hand. The first bedroom had a double bed in it, an old-fashioned quilt covering it. Jack let Daniel look around and then led him to the other bedroom where they would both be sleeping; there was no way Jack was going to sleep in the same bed that his father had. "Which bed do you want, Danny?"

Studying the twin beds carefully, Daniel eventually decided on the one away from the window. "This one," he said, going over to it and trying to climb onto it. It was a little bigger than he was used to but he eventually managed to reach the top. "Where are you going to sleep, Jack?"

"Right here," Jack stated, sitting on the other bed.

"Yay!" That meant Jack would be close by in case he had bad dreams or got scared or something. Then his stomach growled. "Jack, I'm hunnn-gry."

Where had he heard that before? Jack stood and gestured to his brother. "Let's go see what food there is then."

Thirty minutes later, they were both slouching on the couch, their stomachs full. Dinner had just been sandwiches with home-made bread and a variety of fillings but it had been good. To finish it off, there had been ice-cream for dessert too. Jack had built a fire in the contained fireplace, and now the flames started to lazily grow and spread their warmth throughout the cabin.

Daniel snuggled against Jack's side, the food making him sleepy. He was determined to stay awake though so that he could spend lots of time with his big brother.

Jack was happy to let Daniel stay with him for as long as possible. He figured that if he kept Daniel here, then it would keep the memories at bay for awhile longer. So they just sat and chatted, Jack encouraging Daniel to tell him stories about Egypt. But eventually Daniel couldn't keep his eyes open any more and Jack had to put him to bed.

Getting a sleepy child through brushing their teeth and then into their pyjamas wasn't an easy task but Jack managed it. Then he checked for monsters and told Daniel a quick story.

Daniel was asleep before he got to the end.

Jack leaned down and kissed Daniel's forehead gently. Then he went out to the kitchen, got himself a beer, went back to the living room, and started to read the book he had brought up with him to stop the memories from haunting him.


	39. Creating New Memories, part 1

-1Yes, I got a new part done in a month!! Woohoo! Anyway, I'm aiming to have the next part done by early July - that way I'll have done 40 parts in 2 years. It gives me a goal to aim for anyway g .

Thank you to all the people who continue to send me feedback - keep it coming! It's very encouraging to receive it all, and I appreciate every single one, especially those who have been patiently - or impatiently - waiting for each part!

**Part 39 - Creating New Memories, part 1**

He couldn't concentrate. After ten minutes, Jack gave up the pretense of reading. He put his book down, stood up and moved over to look out the window. Not that he could see anything because it was dark but it seemed the best place to just stand as he allowed the memories of the cabin to return.

When he was really young, it had been wonderful. He and his father had come up here and bonded over fishing, even though they never caught anything. His father had known every joke in the world, and Jack had thought he was wonderful. Then things had changed. He had noticed his mother becoming more wary of John, and he also noticed that his father was acting strangely. He was about nine when John first hit him, citing bad grades as an excuse. Before that, there had been a few quick smacks when he misbehaved but they were different, more of a deterrence than actual violence.

Jack became an expert in hiding the bruises from everyone, although Claire had known what was going on and tried to intercede on many occasions. She had threatened to leave several times and each time, John had said that he would never do it again.

He lied.

It was the trip up here to the cabin when Jack was twelve that had been the catalyst for Claire finally leaving John. They had come up here as a family, hoping that things would be okay. Claire had left the two males alone to go into town for groceries. Jack had gone outside to collect firewood while John had stayed in the cabin - drinking, as it turned out. Jack had piled the wood near the back door as he had been instructed but one of the larger pieces had slipped and fell against John's fishing rod, knocking it over and breaking it in two. And as a matter of bad luck, John had just been coming outside at that moment and saw the accident, only because he was drunk, he had believed that it was deliberate. He had laid into Jack, fists striking wherever they could. Jack had fought back but he was only twelve and his father was much bigger than he was. By the time Claire got back, Jack was lying on the ground barely conscious and John was out on the deck fishing as if nothing had happened.

Within five minutes, Claire had packed and had taken Jack away from there. She had taken him to the hospital to get his injuries treated and while she was there, she had arranged for an intervention order against John and a divorce.

Jack had never seen his father again.

Not that he wanted to, not after the pain John had caused the rest of the family. He wasn't even sure that Iris and Tom had seen their son since that time either; as far as Jack was concerned, John had disappeared off the face of the Earth, which was just the way he wanted it. Jack knew that his grandparents had been very distressed and guilty about the way John had turned out but it hadn't been their fault; John had just made some bad choices about the way he lived his life. The rest of their children had turned out fine, it had just been John who had turned bad.

Jack's feet led him to the back door, a place which he had avoided since arriving a few hours ago. After taking several deep breaths, he quietly opened it and looked outside. He couldn't see much except where the light from inside reached, but he 'saw' the logs of wood, the broken fishing rod, and himself lying on the decking. How it must have scared his mother to come out and find him like that. His gut tightened as he imagined what it would have been like if their positions had been reversed. Or, God forbid, if it was Daniel - or in the future, his own child.

No-one should ever take their rage out on a child.

Jack scrubbed a hand over his face and the scene faded from his mind. He had got past it, end of story. It had made him wary of alcohol, so although he had the occasional drink, he never got drunk as he didn't want to end up like his father; he didn't want to find out if violence was hereditary. Daniel would be safe with him.

He closed the back door and headed back to the living room, settling down again with his book. Maybe now he could get more than a few pages read.

**Saturday, 13th December**

Daniel woke in the middle of the night needing to go to the toilet. There was barely any light coming into the room and there was no nightlight, so he got scared. Scrambling out of bed, holding tightly onto Thoth, Daniel bravely went over to his brother. "Jack!"

With a start, Jack awoke. He had been sleeping soundly but a sound had penetrated his subconscious.

"Jack!"

"Daniel? What's up?" Jack rubbed his eyes and then opened them to see his little brother right in front of him.

"I have to go and it's dark," Daniel whispered loudly while bouncing on his toes.

"Right." Jack got up, turned on the bedroom light, then escorted Daniel to the bathroom. He waited outside the room - shivering in the cold - as Daniel went about his business and then a couple of minutes later, walked the kid back to the bedroom.

"Thank you, Jack," Daniel said as he crawled back into bed, Thoth still clutched in one hand.

"You're welcome." Jack waited until Daniel was settled before turning off the light. Then he got back into bed and curled up, trying to conserve heat; he had forgotten how cold it could get in Minnesota. "Goodnight again."

Daniel giggled as he got warm again, hugging Thoth close to him. "Goodnight, Jack!" He closed his eyes and was fast asleep in only a minute.

It took Jack much longer than that.

Daniel was up bright and early the next morning. Rugged up in his warm robe and fluffy slippers, Daniel decided to let Jack have a sleep-in so he went out to the living room with one of his books. After a few minutes, he heard a stomach growling so he turned his head towards Thoth, who was sitting beside him. "I know you're hungry," he said, "but we have to wait for Jack to get up to make breakfast."

Thoth stared at him.

"Because he's making something special and he said we weren't s'pposed to cook anything by ourselfs."

More staring.

Daniel sighed. "Okay." He quietly went back into the bedroom, retrieved his two other stuffed toys, and went back into the living room. He settled all the toys on the couch first and then crawled up beside them. "Now I'm going to read you a story but you have to promise to be quiet 'cos Jack's still sleeping and we shouldn't wake him up." He looked sternly at his toys.

There was no dissent from them so Daniel opened his book up again and started reading softly to them.

Jack was surprised not to be woken up by an insistent four-year-old. He turned enough to see the clock: 0752. Travelling with Daniel had obviously exhausted him; either that, or it was reliving those memories. At least he didn't have any nightmares about it, which was very good.

But now - where was Daniel? The kid wasn't in his bed, so Jack theorised that Daniel had got up earlier but where would he have gone? He should probably check on his brother's location before doing anything else.

Throwing on a warm sweatshirt and some socks, Jack padded out of the bedroom. The bathroom door wasn't shut so Daniel wasn't in there. As he thought this, he heard a soft murmuring sound coming from the living room. Heading that way, Jack realised that his brother was reading a story out loud. To his toys. Jack smiled at the picture. "Whatcha doing, Danny?" he asked.

"Jack!" The book fell off Daniel's lap as he got up on his knees to greet his brother. "I was reading to them 'cos they were hungry and they didn't want to wait for breakfast but I told them to be patient because you were going to make something special."

"They were hungry, huh?" Jack still wasn't wise to the way children transferred things to their toys and so he just thought it was part of Daniel playing. "What about you?"

"I'm hungry too," Daniel agreed, reaching down to get his book and almost falling off the couch in the process. Righting himself, he put the book down on the couch, making sure none of the pages had been harmed when it had fallen, and then he skipped out to the kitchen, forcing Jack to follow. "What are you going to make, Jack?"

"Pancakes." When he had rung up about groceries, he had made sure to order some ready-made pancake mix.

"Yay!" Daniel jumped up and down twice then paused. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What's pancakes?"

"Yummy breakfast food that we have on special occasions like coming up here to the cabin," Jack replied as he read the recipe on the back of the packet. Okay, he could do this. But he wasn't going to do anything fancy; just plain pancakes would have to do, especially if Daniel didn't know any different. Hearing Daniel's feet thump on the wooden chair, Jack put the packet down, got his brother a drink of chocolate milk, and then started to make the pancakes.

Daniel watched for a minute while he drank his milk and then inquired, "Do animals like pancakes too?"

"Animals?" Jack was confused by the question.

"Yeah. 'Cos Thoth said he was hungry so is he 'llowed to have pancakes?"

"Right." Okay, that was new to Jack. "Uh, I don't think teddy bears like pancakes because the syrup gets in their fur." That sounded like a logical reason to him.

"Oh." Daniel frowned; that mean that Khufu and Taweret wouldn't be able to have pancakes either. "What can they eat then, Jack?"

Now how come the subject of stuffed toys eating hadn't come up before today? Jack was totally stumped by the question. "Um… what do they normally eat?" he asked, hoping that Daniel might have an answer.

"Lots of things," Daniel replied. "But they like porridge the best."

This conversation was definitely getting weird. "Then why haven't I seen them eating before?" Jack had to ask.

"They do but you don't see them 'cos you're a grown-up," Daniel stated matter-of-factly. "Grown-ups can't see their food either. Could they have pancakes without syrup?"

Jack sighed. "Why not?" If the toys didn't actually get near the food, that would be fine. "How about I make them a special batch that doesn't need syrup?"

"I'll ask them." Daniel jumped off the chair and ran over to ask his toys about it. He came back a few seconds later with two of them in his arms and climbed onto the chair again. "Taweret doesn't like pancakes 'cos she's a hippo but Thoth and Khufu want to try some." He put the two toys on the table near one of the vacant chairs. "Are they ready yet?"

"Nearly." Jack got another mixing bowl out of the cupboard, pretended to pour ingredients into it and then handed it to Daniel along with a wooden spoon. "Can you mix this lot while I get ours ready?"

"Yeah, sure, you betcha!" Daniel started stirring vigorously.

"Not too hard!" Jack exclaimed. "You don't want the mixture to fly everywhere, do you?"

Daniel giggled. "Oops." He continued stirring at a more sedate pace.

After a few quiet minutes, Jack spooned some of his mixture onto the griddle. He was watching them cook when Daniel piped up. "Jack, I'm finished. Can you cook them now?"

"In a sec." Jack scooped the pancakes off the griddle and put them onto a plate. Then he took the empty bowl from Daniel and pretended to put a couple of spoonfuls of mixture on to cook next to some for the two of them.

A few minutes later, there was quite a stack of pancakes, both real and imaginary. Jack put the small plate of invisible pancakes in front of the toys and the other plate in the middle of the table. He sat down and served Daniel a few pancakes, then poured some syrup on them. "Dig in."

Daniel quickly cut a large mouthful from the stack, using his new smaller-sized knife and fork, and shoved it into his mouth. "Yum!" he exclaimed from around the now-mashed food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Jack reminded him.

Daniel chewed quickly and then swallowed. "It's yummy!"

"That's good. What do Thoth and Khufu think?"

Daniel looked over at his toys and listened carefully for a few seconds. Then he turned back to Jack. "They think they're yummy too."

"Good." Never, when Jack had originally considered looking after his little brother, did he imagine he would be cooking for stuffed toys.

Everyone ate their fill and then it was time to get ready for exploring outside. Jack made sure Daniel dressed warmly despite his little brother's excited bouncing. Then they headed outside to explore. It was wet outside but there was no snow, and Daniel got to wear his new blue rainboots.

"Wow!" Daniel exclaimed when he saw the pond. "That's big!" He wasn't used to seeing large bodies of water except for a couple of rivers in Egypt. "Is it all ours?"

"Well, Grandpa Tom's anyway," Jack responded. He kept hold of Daniel's hand and led him down to the small wooden jetty. "This is where I learnt to fish."

"Can we fish? Are there any fishies in there? Will we put them back if we catch them?" Daniel asked as he bounced. "Is it cold for them too? Do they like cold water?"

Oy, the questions Daniel could come up with! "These fish don't mind cold water because they were born in it."

Daniel peered into the water to see if he could see the fish. When he couldn't see any, he looked up at Jack. "Are they sleeping? Haven't they waked up yet?"

"They might just be around the other side of the pond," Jack explained, hoping that if there were any fish in there, that they had enough sense to do that today; he didn't want Daniel falling in the water while trying to see the fish. "How about we go for a walk and see?" That might get Daniel to use up some of his early morning energy.

"Yeah!"

As they made their way around the large pond, Daniel explored everything that he could - flowers and other plants, fallen branches, and the water as he looked eagerly for the fish - and eagerly chatted away to Jack the whole time. Everything was fascinating to him.

When they got back to the cabin, Daniel saw the small boat shed that was a few metres away from it. "What's that?"

"That is where the boat is stored," Jack replied.

"You have a boat? Is it big? Is it like the Egyptian barges? What colour is it?" Daniel asked in rapid-fire succession, detouring towards the shed.

"We'll have a look later," Jack promised. "I'll have to find the keys to the shed first." He looked up at the sky, which was getting darker. "And… I think we'd better go inside, kiddo. It's going to rain soon."

"Ohhhhh," Daniel complained; he had been having lots of fun. Then he perked up a bit - maybe he could get Jack to play with him. "Can we play with the Legos?"

"Sure." He figured that would keep Daniel busy for awhile.

Once they got inside and Jack helped Daniel divest himself of the boots and coat, the little boy ran into the bedroom. A few seconds later, he appeared dragging the Lego bucket into the living room. "Come on, Jack!" He put the bucket down and grabbed his brother's hand, pulling him to sit on the floor.

Smiling, Jack shook his head; it looked like he was going to be doing some construction work. Oh well - there were worse ways to spend a rainy morning than to play with his little brother.


	40. Creating New Memories, part 2

-1Yay, forty parts in two years!! Not too bad considering the amount of time there's been between some parts g . Anyway, for those who have stuck by me for two years so far, thank you, and to everyone else who has managed to get this far or sent feedback, thank you also g . This is only a short part but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

**Part 40 - Creating New Memories, part 2**

"So, what are you going to build?" Jack asked as Daniel tipped the Lego out onto the floor.

"An Egyptian barge," Daniel replied, looking through all the pieces. A frown appeared on his face. He couldn't find all the pieces that he wanted. "Jack, there are no curvy bits."

"Curvy bits?"

"Barges have curved sides," Daniel explained, demonstrating with his hands. "There's one near the big pyramids in Egypt, and it's long and got curvy sides and a little house on top. They 'scovered it last year in a tomb near a big pyramid and they took it out and builded it, and now it's in a museum near the pyramid and Mommy and Daddy took me to see it, and it's this big times lots." Daniel held his hands out as far as he could to demonstrate.

"I see." Jack couldn't help being amused by the way Daniel described the barge. "Well, because there are no curvy bits, we'll just have improvise."

"What's improvise?" Daniel wanted to know.

"It means, we make it up." Jack started collecting some long thin pieces of Lego. "It might not be exactly right but it'll be as close as we can get it."

Daniel cheered up; Jack knew exactly what to do. "We can build it together," he offered generously, shifting so that he was sitting right next to his brother. "Oh! I'll draw you a picture of it so that you know what it looks like!" He rushed off to the bedroom and came back with his drawing equipment. Then he settled down, tongue between his lips as he concentrated hard on drawing a barge for Jack.

His brother definitely had talent, Jack decided as he watched the barge take shape. It was only an outline of the vessel but it still looked pretty good for a four-year-old. "I don't think we're going to be able to do the oars," he commented as Daniel drew some.

"Oh, okay." Daniel stopped drawing the oars and proudly showed his picture to Jack. "Can we build this?"

"Let's try it and see."

Forty fun-filled minutes later, they had built something resembling an Egyptian funeral barge. There had been plenty of laughter when the Lego blocks didn't want to stay put but they had finally managed to finish it.

"Yay!" Daniel exclaimed happily when the final block was put on. "Do you think it will float?"

"I kinda doubt it," Jack replied. "But we could try it out later when you have a bath." After all, he doubted whether plastic blocks rusted, so it should be okay to get them wet.

He hoped.

"Cool!" That sounded like a great idea! "Can I have my bath now?"

"Daniel, it's not even lunchtime," Jack pointed out. "You can have one after dinner."

A pout on his face, Daniel thought that over. He really wanted to try out the barge now but he didn't want to argue with Jack just in case that was something that had really bad consequences like smacking.

"Hey, look, it's stopped raining," Jack said in order to distract the little boy. "How about we go outside and see whether those fish have woken up yet?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed, perking up a little. He ran to the front door only to be called back by his brother. "What?"

"Boots and coat," Jack reminded him.

Oops. He ran to the back door where his boots were, collected them, then detoured into the bedroom to fetch his coat before running back to the front door. "I'm ready," he announced as he pulled his boots on.

"No, you're not. Come and put the blocks back in the bucket first." Jack didn't want to come back inside only to step on the blocks.

Another oops. With one boot on, Daniel scooted over to the pile of blocks that still lay on the floor and started scooping them into the bucket. Jack helped and soon the extra blocks were packed away. Daniel skipped - sort of - back to the door, put his other boot on and then tried to put his coat on. "Come on, Jack!" he scolded his big brother, who wasn't in a hurry to get ready.

"I'm coming," Jack replied, slowly getting out and stretching out the kinks; oy, he wasn't as young as he used to be! "Wait there," he ordered a bouncing Daniel before going to collect all the gear that they would need.

A few minutes and two fishing rods later, they were sitting out on the small wooden jetty. Because of the wet wood, they were both seated on collapsible camping chairs; Daniel's looked like it was going to swallow him whole. He was holding a small fishing rod while Jack held the bigger one.

Silence reigned for awhile - about five minutes, by Jack's estimate. Then Daniel started fidgeting. Then came a sigh. Then came, "I'm bored, Jack."

Ah, the attention span of the young. Jack turned his head towards Daniel. "How about you tell me a story then?"

Daniel's eyes opened wide. Him, tell Jack a story? Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? "You want me to tell you a story? But it's not bedtime yet."

"That doesn't matter." Jack figured that the chattering wouldn't bother the fish if there were actually in the pond. "You got any stories about any gods that aren't Egyptian?"

Now Daniel's eyes were lit up with enthusiasm. He _loved_ sharing stories no matter what time it was! "Can I tell you about Athena? She was the Greek goddess of wisdom," he stated authoritatively.

"Go for it," Jack invited, relaxing back into his chair. As he saw Daniel shift in the chair, ready to start his tale, Jack warned, "But make sure you hold onto the rod." The last thing he wanted was to fetch the fishing rod out of the cold water.

Daniel's little hands gripped the rod tightly as he crossed his legs Indian-style. Then, when he was settled, he launched into a long narrative about Athena. When he finished that story, he went onto more of the Greek gods and goddesses, surprising Jack with his knowledge. _I wonder whether he'd like 'Hercules'_, Jack thought, having watched the television series a number of years ago. He couldn't remember many of the episodes but he knew it had something to do with mythology.

"Jaaa-ck," Daniel interrupted his brother's thoughts. "Is it lunchtime yet?" His stomach was growling.

After checking his watched, Jack replied, "Yep, it is. Ah, wait!" He took the fishing rod from Daniel before the little boy could get out of the chair. "Okay, now you can get up."

"Yay!" Fishing with Jack had been fun when he had been allowed to tell stories but other than that, it was a bit boring. "Jack, the fishies never waked up!" That had been really disappointing.

"Yeah, well, it's a cold morning, they probably wanted to sleep in really late," Jack excused the fish; he should have checked with Grandpa Tom about whether there were actually any fish in the pond.

Daniel accepted that with a child's faith. He bounced along at Jack's side, full of energy after sitting for so long. "Do fishies get a cold? Maybe the mommy fish said that they couldn't come out and play if they had a cold."

"That's probably it," Jack agreed, going with the flow.

"Do fishies sneeze like I did when I had a cold? Maybe Oma could fix them too?" Daniel continued, trying to work out how to make the fish feel better.

Jack hadn't heard Daniel mention Oma for awhile and had thought his brother had forgotten about her. "Uh, I don't think fish sneeze so we shouldn't worry Oma about it. She's probably got lots of things to do anyway."

"Okay."

Lunch was a nice simple meal and then it was time to explore the boat shed. To Daniel's disappointment, it was just an ordinary boat with blue paint that was cracked and fading. Despite Jack's warning, he had been hoping that it would be an Egyptian barge.

Seeing Daniel's disappointment, Jack crouched down in front of his little brother. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Daniel shrugged; he didn't know how to explain about it not being a barge.

Hoping that he was guessing right, Jack said, "It may not be the kind of boat you're used to but it's still really special. That's not just an ordinary boat, you know."

"Really?" Daniel peered at it again. Nope, still seemed ordinary to him.

"Yep. You know why?" When Daniel shook his head, Jack explained, "Because it once caught a fish all by itself."

"Oooh," Daniel breathed, looking at the boat in a different light. "How did it do that?"

"Well, you see, one day when Grandpa Tom was fishing in the boat, he fell asleep and when he woke up, there was a fish lying in the bottom of the boat." Jack had heard this story many times and didn't believe it now but when he was young, it had been a fantastic tale. "Now, do you know how it got into the boat?"

Daniel's eyes were as big as saucers as he shook his head. "How, Jack?"

"While Grandpa was sleeping, the boat knew there was a fish swimming nearby so it rolled a little and the fish swam over the edge right into the boat. And once the fish was caught, the boat rolled back to its normal position and so the fish was stuck."

That was one smart boat! "Will it catch fish for us?" Daniel wanted to know. That would be a very exciting story to tell his friends back at day-care.

"I don't think so. It's a very old boat now," Jack replied, looking the boat over. It didn't look watertight any more and he didn't want it to sink to the bottom of the pond. "It needs its rest."

"Oh." Daniel went over and patted the side of the boat. "It's okay, we won't 'sturb you."

Jack was proud of himself for remembering the story and having thrilled Daniel with it. Holding out his hand to his little brother, he suggested, "How about we go inside and get that jigsaw started?" They could do that for awhile before trying some more fishing.

"Okay!" Daniel took Jack's hand and pulled him back towards the house. Being at the cabin was so fun!


	41. Confronting the Past

-1Well, it's been just over a month and I've got the next part done, even though it's short. This was a most frustrating part. I wanted to have the Mitchells in it but the story just refused to be written. Then a couple of days ago, a plotline which I was planning for later on jumped up and insisted that it be inserted now, so I did. I don't think this part needs any warnings but maybe have the tissues on hand just in case.

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**Part 41 - Confronting the Past**

They had all the edge pieces worked out and fitted together when the sound of a car outside disturbed the quiet. Well… it hadn't been exactly quiet, as Daniel was chattering away, but the car engine could be heard anyway. So Jack stood and went to the window to see who would be disturbing their weekend. He didn't recognise the truck but he did know the man who got out - Alex Mitchell. What did the man want?

Jack opened the door and stepped out onto the porch as a boy about ten also got out of the truck. Great; this wasn't going to be a quick visit. He remembered that Alex had mentioned that his son Cam was interested in planes, so that was probably why the boy was here. "Afternoon," he called out as the two approached the cabin.

"Afternoon," Alex replied. He handed Jack the square plastic container he held. "The wife sent over this chocolate cake just in case you got hungry, what with having a cupboard full of food and all," he added dryly, rolling his eyes at his wife's logic.

"Thanks." Jack decided he had better accept it as he didn't want to alienate the neighbours. He felt something wind its way around his right thigh and he looked down to see Daniel standing behind him, thumb firmly in mouth. "Danny, look what Mr. Mitchell brought us. It's a chocolate cake."

Daniel stared up at Jack. He liked chocolate cake but he didn't know the people who brought it so he didn't say anything.

After a few seconds silence, Alex spoke again. "Uh, actually the real reason we came around is that someone in town's asking about you. Well, you and your family."

That didn't sound too good, Jack thought as he frowned. One hand automatically reached down to rest on Daniel's head. "Do you know who?"

"He didn't give a name," Alex replied. "But he'd be mid-to-late fifties, greying hair, 'bout your height."

Jack's heart sank and then hardened. If it was who he thought it was, the timing was a mighty coincidence. "Thanks for the warning." He would have to get the shotgun out of the locked cupboard and give the unwelcome visitor something to think about. "Does he know anyone's here?"

"Couple of ladies at the store, ones your grandma knows, were approached and said that they thought you might be down for a visit." Alex was curious as to who the stranger might be but didn't ask the obvious question. "He was filling up with gas when we went past, so he could be here soon."

Great. Jack's mind raced through various options before deciding on the best plan of action. Normally, he would have sent the Mitchells away but he needed someone to keep Daniel out of sight. "Daniel, how about you show Cam your jigsaw?" He ruffled his brother's hair.

Daniel shook his head. Jack was speaking in a scary voice about the person in town and that made Daniel worried. He wanted to stay with his big brother and feel safe.

"It'll just be for a minute. I have to talk to Mr. Mitchell about something," Jack coaxed. "And then we'll have some chocolate cake."

Daniel tugged on Jack's jeans, wanting him to come down to his level. When Jack did, Daniel whispered, "Is a bad man coming?"

How to reply to that? Deciding on the truth, Jack nodded. "Yes, a bad man is coming, that's why I want you to go inside with Cam and Mr. Mitchell, okay? I'll get rid of the bad man and then we'll all have cake."

"You won't get hurted?" Daniel questioned, worried for his brother.

"I promise I won't get hurt," Jack replied, giving Daniel a little grin to show that there was nothing to worry about. Besides which, the only person who would get hurt would be the 'bad man' if he didn't leave when Jack asked him to. He looked over at Alex, who indicated with a nod that he would look after Daniel inside the cabin.

"Okay," Daniel agreed after a few more seconds contemplation. He let Jack lead him back to the living area where the jigsaw was set up and then sat down near the table. But he continued to watch his big brother, who was going out the back for some reason. He stared anxiously until he heard Jack's footsteps on the front verandah a minute later. Why hadn't Jack come back into the house?

Alex could tell that Daniel was scared so he sat down near the little boy and said, "Did you do all this jigsaw by yourself?"

Distracted, Daniel nodded his head and stated, "But Jack helped me a little."

"Do you think we might be able to help a little too?"

"Pa--" Cam started to say but was stopped by a look from his father.

"Not now, Cam." Alex knew what his curious son would be wanting to ask. "Let's help Daniel, okay?"

Outside, Jack checked the double-barrelled shotgun to see if it would still work and then he loaded two bullets into it. Not that he was really intending to shoot anyone but still, better to have it than not. Once he was ready, he settled in to wait for the visitor.

He didn't have to wait long. An old blue car came rattling down the long driveway and by the time it came to a stop, Jack was off the verandah and walking towards it, shotgun hanging casually by his side. As soon as the door opened and a man stepped out, Jack ordered, "Leave and I won't shoot you."

John O'Neill didn't even blink. "Is that any way to greet your father?"

"Well, I could have just shot you," Jack retorted. "I still can, if you prefer that." He tapped the shotgun against his side in clear invitation. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw about Claire in the paper." Despite what had happened, he had loved his ex-wife in his own way. "I'm sorry."

"That doesn't explain why you're here. You could have just sent a card," Jack pointed out, his eyes showing his dislike of the man standing in front of him.

"I took a gamble," John replied, looking his son over. Jack had grown into quite a good-looking young man and John was proud to have passed on some of his genes to him. "If you weren't here, I would have looked for you elsewhere."

"Well, you've seen me now so you can get going." The longer John was around, the more likelihood there was of Daniel coming outside.

"Jack--"

"No. I don't want to you to stay, I don't want you in my life," Jack stated firmly, his grip on the shotgun tightening as he controlled his anger.

"I'm your father--"

Jack scoffed at the idea. "You gave up that right when you almost beat me to death. I was twelve years old and no match for you. You want to try again, old man?" he asked in his Special Ops voice.

John wisely decided to change the subject. "I read in the paper that Claire had another son."

"So?" There was no way Jack was going to allow that.

"I'd like to see him."

"Even if he was here, I wouldn't let you. You're in no way related to him so why would you want to see him?" Jack questioned as his mind raced through the reasons why John wanted to see Daniel. None of the reasons were good.

"You've grown hard, Jack," the older man observed.

"Depends on who I'm around," Jack retorted truthfully. He had to be hard when he did Special Ops mission but Daniel and the rest of his family saw a different side. "Now if you wouldn't mind leaving…"

"I'm dying, Jack. Kidneys. No hope of a transplant."

John's words hit Jack surprisingly hard. After a moment though, Jack got over the shock and said, "Serves you right." He felt no sadness at the thought because to him, his father had been dead for sixteen years.

"I've come to make amends. It's too late for Claire but I was hoping that you might forgive a foolish man," John admitted. He couldn't see forgiveness in Jack's expression though and knew his hope would be in vain.

"Well, you've had a wasted trip then." Some hurts ran very, very deep. "You abused Mom and me for years because you were a violent drunk who always had an excuse for your behaviour. It was never your fault that you lost your temper, according to you. Mom should've left you years earlier."

John sighed; he had half expected this reaction. "I've changed." Being aware of one's mortality did that to a person.

"Twenty years too late. You made your bed, you lie in it." Jack didn't forgive easily and he didn't really want to give John a second chance, not now that Daniel was in his life; he had to protect his brother. "Now - leave." He lifted the shotgun as a hint.

"How are Mom and Dad?" John persisted, determined to break through Jack's defences.

"All the better for not having you in their life anymore," Jack replied. This time, when he lifted the shotgun, he aimed it at John. "This is your last warning."

John held his hands up in surrender. "I'm going, I'm going. Just know… I do love you, Jack. I know I wasn't a good father and I'm sorry for that."

Jack just stared at him over the barrel of the shotgun. The words were years too late. He kept the gun raised until John had got into the car and driven away, then he allowed himself to relax. It was over. He wouldn't see John again and he was glad.

He took the shotgun back to the shed he had got it from and, after taking the bullets out, locked it away. Then he headed back inside to see Daniel quietly working on the jigsaw with the Mitchells.

As soon as Daniel saw Jack, he jumped up and ran over to his big brother, latching onto his right leg. "Are you hurted? Has the bad man gone away?"

"Yes, the bad man has gone away and he won't ever come back ," Jack stated, detaching Daniel from his legs and then lifting the little boy into his arms. "And no, I'm not hurt. Now, how about some chocolate cake?"

Daniel nodded his head, not quite reassured but still willing to eat the cake. Jack kept hold of him while getting the cake ready and then they sat down together at the table with the visitors in an attempt to pretend the last few minutes had never happened.


	42. Chilling Out' at the Cabin

-1I'm sorry for the late chapter - I haven't been well lately, what with colds and viral infections, and haven't been feeling like writing. But I hope you enjoy the chapter even after the long wait. I'll be away for a couple of weeks soon but I promise to reply to feedback as soon as I can - just be patient g .

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**Part 42 - "Chilling Out" at the Cabin**

The little boy nibbled at his chocolate cake, his tummy still a little funny after the recent scare. He didn't like bad men and he had been glad that this one hadn't yelled while Jack was chasing him away. _Jack is big and brave just like Daddy_, Daniel thought, snuggling in closer to his brother's chest. The thought made him feel better and he took a proper bite of the cake, his tummy feeling not so funny any more.

Cam kept silent as long as possible and then burst out with, "Pa says you're in the Air Force. Do you fly jet planes?"

"I used to," Jack replied, thinking back over his career.

"Did you ever shoot anyone down? Do you have a gun? Have you ever shot someone?" Cam inquired enthusiastically.

Jack hesitated; yes, he had shot people down in planes and with a gun but he didn't want to say so in front of Daniel.

"I want to join the Air Force so I can shoot the bad guys down," Cam continued, apparently not needing an answer. "Have you ever been shot down?"

"Once," Jack stated. "It wasn't very nice and I was pretty badly hurt."

Daniel stiffened. Jack had been hurt? He looked up at his big brother. "No more planes," he ordered.

"No, no more planes," Jack agreed. "Just the safe ones, like the one we came up here in."

Daniel thought about that and then nodded. That had been a nice plane. He went back to eating his cake.

Cam went to open his mouth again but his father stopped him from asking anything else. He had seen Daniel's reaction and figured that this wasn't the kind of conversation they should be having. Changing the subject, he queried, "Have you caught any fish yet?"

At the question, Daniel perked up a bit. "We waited and waited a long time but the fishies didn't come and Jack says that they were prob'ly too cold or they were still sleeping. Isn't that right, Jack?" He bent his head backwards again so far he could see up his brother's nose.

"That's right," Jack agreed, grinning down at the kid. He was glad that Daniel wasn't feeling so scared anymore. "And we're going to go fishing again later to see whether they've woken up yet."

"Yay!" Daniel was more enthusiastic about the prospect of telling Jack more stories though than the actual fishing. And then it would be dinner time and then it would be bath time and he would get to test out his Lego funeral barge to see if it floated.

Jack and Alex shared some local gossip before the latter decided that it was time to leave. Cam protested - he hadn't got to find out all the juicy details about Jack's military career - but to no avail.

As the car drove away, Jack put Daniel on the verandah. "So, you want to show me how much more of your jigsaw you've finished?"

"Ooh!" Daniel tugged on his brother's hand and pulled him into the living area. He encouraged Jack to sit on the couch and then stood right next to him as he pointed out all the pieces, the scare from earlier consciously forgotten but deep down, he was still a little scared.

Jack listened attentively, noticing that Daniel was being clingy. He kept a hand on his little brother's back throughout the explanation to comfort him, and when Daniel stopped talking, Jack asked, "That's excellent, kiddo. How about we do some more after dinner?"

"Okay." Daniel stared at the jigsaw for a few more seconds then looked at Jack. "What do we do now?"

"Well…" Jack wasn't keen on going fishing straight away just in case his father was lingering somewhere outside. But there wasn't a heap of things they could do inside that they hadn't already done except for watching some television. Maybe that would be the best so that they could both relax. "I think it's chill out time."

Daniel screwed up his nose in confusion. "What's 'chill out time'?" He had never heard of that.

"It means to sit back, relax and do nothing," Jack explained. "So today, we're going to pick a movie and just sit here and watch it for awhile." Too bad he hadn't brought any 'Simpsons' episodes with him.

"Just us?" Daniel clarified, looking over at where Thoth was guarding the jigsaw.

"Well, I suppose the animals can join us too," Jack pretended to give in. "So go round them up and then choose the movie."

Daniel's eyes widened. "I get to choose?" That was a very important responsibility.

"You do," Jack confirmed. "So quick, scoot and get everything." He gave Daniel's hair a brief ruffle.

Daniel scooted, collecting his other two toys and his 'Aladdin' DVD, which he loved. He ran back into the living area and handed the movie to Jack. "Can we watch this one?"

"Sure." Jack put it into the DVD player - which made him wonder who had brought the machine for the cabin - and then settled back on the couch, Daniel right up against his side and the toys next to the little boy. "Ready?"

"Yes!!" Daniel bounced up and down with excitement. He snuggled up to Jack, almost sitting in his brother's lap, and kept his eyes glued to the screen, ready to enjoy the movie.

The movie passed quickly before Jack thought about checking his watch. If he wanted to get some fishing in, they would have to go soon otherwise it would be too late. He turned the movie off and smiled down at Daniel. "You all 'chilled out'?"

"Yep! And so is Khufu, look!" Daniel giggled and held up his toy camel, whose legs were all floppy.

"So he is." Jack couldn't help grinning as well. He had 'chilled out' quite a bit too, and not just in the last hour and a half. Ever since Daniel had arrived, Jack had felt himself becoming more relaxed and he was actually enjoying life more. There was something to be said about seeing things through a child's eyes - Daniel thought everything was amazing and that made Jack see things differently too. "Okay, the toys can stay here and chat while _we_ go fishing."

"Taweret wants to go fishing too," Daniel stated, holding the hippo out to Jack. "She didn't get any pancakes this morning so she wants some fish."

"We'll just have to bring some back to her then because soft toys don't like water," Jack replied, forseeing the hippo falling into the water and either sinking or needing to be dried out somehow.

"They don't?" Daniel had never heard that before. "Why not?"

How to answer that question? "Because their insides get all wet and they get all mushy and they can't get dry as quick as we can. So it's very uncomfortable for them. That's why there are special toys that you can play with in the bath - they don't mind getting wet." Would that sound reasonable to a four-year-old?

"Oh." Daniel hadn't realised that. He put Taweret back on the couch and patted her head. "I'm sorry but you can't come with us. We'll bring back some fishies for you if they're waked up," he promised.

Jack hid another grin at that; it looked like he would have to catch some imaginary fish for the stuffed toy. The things he had to do!!

They went outside with all the fishing gear from before and settled in. Daniel immediately launched into another mythological story while Jack just listened and nodded in the right places. It was another good way to relax and bond with each other.

Time flew quickly by. Soon it was dinner time, and while Taweret was enjoying her invisible meal of fish, Daniel and Jack had a simple meal of vegetables and sausages. Then it was time to do some more jigsaw, and finally it was time for a bath.

Daniel eagerly but carefully held onto his Lego funeral barge as Jack ran the bath. "Do you think it will float?" he queried as he bounced on his toes.

"Possibly," Jack replied as he turned the taps off. He checked the temperature - just right - and then took the barge out of Daniel's hands. "You'd better get undressed before you hop in," he teased.

"Oops! I forgot!" Daniel giggled as he clapped his hands over his mouth. Then he tried to hurry and get undressed but he was in so much of a rush that he got tangled up in his clothes. Once Jack helped him though, he was soon naked and eager to get into the bath.

Jack lifted his brother into the bath and when Daniel was settled, he handed the Lego barge over. Daniel immediately settled it into the water where it floated. "Look, Jack!" It was just like a real ship!

"I'm looking." Jack couldn't believe it was actually floating. "Good job, kiddo."

Daniel's grin was as wide as the barge. He moved it around the bath but was disappointed a few minutes later when a slow leak started to fill the centre of the vessel. "Jack!" He held it up for his big brother to fix.

Jack inspected the barge for leaks and found one halfway down the hull. As he tried to fix it though, he accidentally put too much pressure on the hull and suddenly Lego blocks were flying everywhere.

Daniel thought that was hilarious, especially as several pieces ended up in the bath, one hitting him on the head on the way down. He laughed as he fished the pieces out of the water and handed them over to Jack. "Fix it, please!" he requested.

Jack looked at what was left of the barge and then at all the pieces lying on the floor and in his hand. Fix it? Oy! "I think that might be a bit difficult, Danny. But how about we make another barge at home so that you can play with it in the bath?" He might even glue it together so that it didn't fall apart.

"Okay." Daniel could live with that.

Ten minutes later, Daniel was tucked in bed, snuggled up tight with Thoth in his arms, while Jack checked for monsters. Then they shared a story together, and then Jack kissed Daniel goodnight heading out of the bedroom.

Jack gave Daniel fifteen minutes to fall asleep, then he picked up the phone and dialled a number he knew by heart.

[Iris O'Neill.

"Hey, Grandma," Jack said, walking over to the window and staring out at the darkness.

[Jack! How are you? Is Daniel enjoying his time at the cabin?

A heavy sigh preceeded Jack's answer. "He's loving it. I'm sure he'll tell you all about it when we get home tomorrow."

[Then why the sigh? Even hundreds of miles away, Iris knew something was up.

Jack didn't say anything for a few seconds as he contemplated how to word the afternoon's incident. He decided to just say it straight out. "Dad turned up."

[John? Iris was very surprised by that announcement.

"He saw about Mum's… in the paper and wanted to see me and Daniel," Jack said, a lump in his throat as he mentioned his mother.

There was silence for a moment, then[Why?

"He said he's dying - kidneys or something - and he wanted my forgiveness," Jack said flippantly. "Don't know why he wanted to see Daniel though."

Iris was stunned and it showed in her silence.

"Grandma?" Jack queried when Iris didn't say anything.

[I… he's dying? Even though she hadn't seen her son in many years, and didn't like the man he had become, it was still sad to know that she would outlive him.

"Apparently. I think he might call on you and Grandpa too." Jack disapproved of that, not yet understanding the bond between a parent and child could never be broken no matter what events had passed between them.

[I'll tell Tom. They would have to prepare to see their son for the last time, and if he never showed… well, they would be able to live with that too. [Are you alright? Did you forgive him?

"I'm fine. And no, I didn't forgive him," Jack admitted, his free hand clenching into a fist. There was no way he would ever forgive his father.

[Oh, Jack, Iris sighed. Stubbornness certainly ran in the O'Neill family.

"Don't 'oh, Jack' me, Grandma," her grandson warned. "I know what I'm doing."

Another sigh. [Of course you do. Definitely stubborn. She would have to have a talk with him at some point.

They talked about Daniel for a little while and then Jack disconnected the call. But he didn't move from the window, staring out into the night for a few more minutes. All in all, it had been a good day; if John hadn't turned up, it would have been excellent. He figured, however, that Daniel would have plenty of good memories of this place and now, so would he. Mission accomplished.


	43. Wrapping up the weekend

Well, it's just a little bit under the month, which for me is really good. The first part was very easy to write but wrapping things up at the cabin wasn't. And I knew that this part wasn't very long but didn't know what to write at the end until inspiration suddenly struck yesterday. This may require a tissue-warning for a couple of scenes, or you may be totally unaffected by them g .

A big thanks to those who regularly send feedback to this story and for sticking with it even though it's not getting written very fast at the moment. I am so grateful for your support!

**Part 43 - Wrapping up the weekend**

Jack had a long evening ahead of him, so to fill in some time, he set to work seeing if he could fix the Lego barge. It was tricky work but he finally managed it. Not that Daniel would be able to take it home like that but Jack was proud of his achievement anyway. He put it on the table and went to find some glue. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the only thing he couldn't find. A little annoyed, he went back to the living room to do some reading.

Quiet footsteps alerted him to the fact that Daniel was awake a few seconds before the little boy appeared in the doorway. "Hey kiddo, what's up?"

Daniel padded over to his brother, one hand rubbing his eyes while the other held Thoth to his chest. "I went to sleep but then I waked up because there was a bad man in my head."

Jack interpreted that as meaning Daniel had a bad dream. He lifted his little brother onto his lap. "I guess that scared you a bit."

"Uh-huh." Daniel snuggled in close, less scared now that he was with Jack. There was only one thing that would make him feel more safe. "Can we see Mommy and Daddy?"

"What?"

"Are there clouds outside?" Daniel continued.

"Uh, I don't know." Well, the temperature hadn't dropped too much so if they both rugged up, it was doable. "Go get your slippers on, I'll find a blanket."

Daniel was off like a shot to get his glasses and monkey slippers. Jack moved more slowly, putting his thick jacket on and then retrieved a warm blanket. When Daniel came back, Jack wrapped him snuggly in the blanket and then carried him out the front.

When Daniel looked up, he immediately saw two starts next to each other, both twinkling brightly. There was no doubt in his young mind that those two stars were his parents. "Look, Jack!" he said excitedly, pointing up to the sky. "That's them!"

"So it is," Jack agreed, wishing that he had Daniel's faith in such things.

"Hi, Mommy! Hi, Daddy!" Daniel called out, waving the hand that wasn't holding onto Jack at his parents. It seemed to him that the stars twinkled more brightly in response. He grinned happily; his parents were still watching over him.

A third star nearby twinkled as well and caught Daniel's attention. "Look, Jack, Oma's there too!" He didn't know how he knew that, he just did. "They're all watching us!"

"That's great." Somehow, Jack couldn't bring himself to believe that.

"Aren't you going to wave to Mommy?" Daniel inquired curiously.

"Sure." Jack felt like an idiot but he waved up at the stars. "Hi, Mom."

Daniel nodded approvingly. "Do you think they're cold up there?" If it was cold on the ground, Daniel assumed it would be worse up higher.

"I think it would be whatever they wanted it to be," Jack replied, thinking quickly.

"Good." Daniel was glad about that. He rested his head on Jack's shoulder while staring up at the stars.

After a few minutes of silence, Daniel yawned and Jack took that as a sign of sleepiness. He carried his brother back inside, into the bedroom and then helped Daniel into bed. He put the slippers next to the bed and folded the blanket before placing it at Daniel's feet. "Think you can go back to sleep now?"

"Mmm," Daniel replied sleepily. He curled up, Thoth tucked under one arm. Now that he had seen his parents, the scariness of the bad dream had been chased away.

"Goodnight then." Jack kissed the top of Daniel's head and then went back into the living room. To his surprise, he didn't feel as sad as he thought he might after having Daniel talk about their mother so happily. There was still grief but it was tempered by something that he couldn't define. It was as if he actually believed that the star had been Claire. He knew that notion was ridiculous but a part of him wanted to believe the stories he had been telling Daniel.

Jack shook his head, trying to dispel the notion. For crying out loud, he was an Air Force officer! He was supposed to believe in practical things, not fairy tales. To say angels really existed would be like saying that there really was life on other planets - the idea was just ludicrous!

A smile on his face, Jack got his book and opened it, ready to lose himself in the story. Angels and aliens indeed!

Several hours later, when both occupants of the cabin were in bed asleep, three glowing shapes appeared in the dark bedroom. Claire Jackson, now ascended, looked at the sleeping shapes of her two sons with longing. "I never got to say good-bye," she lamented. Jack had grown into such a wonderful young man and she missed him terribly. As for Daniel, her little miracle… what she wouldn't give to hold him one more time.

"This was necessary," Oma Desala stated, making sure that her charges didn't go near the sleeping humans.

"I don't see why," Melbourne Jackson cut in, staring at Daniel with love. "He's only a child."

"Who is humanity's greatest hope for survival," Oma stated. "He must be involved with the Astria Porta or Earth will be lost to the Goa'uld."

Claire shook her head. "What can he possibly do? He's only four years old!" Her little baby, who was so innocent and intelligent - it wasn't fair to put such a burden on his shoulders.

"There are many others out there who will see humanity's potential in him and protect Earth because of him until he is old enough to travel amongst the stars himself." It was a great risk but Earth could not stay hidden forever and eventually someone would figure out how to open the portal. Better to let it be someone like Daniel than one of the limited scientists presently working on it.

"And what about Jack?" Her eldest son had had such a hard life that Claire hoped he would be able to have some happiness.

"As Daniel's guardian, he will be protected," Oma replied. "Besides, he has his own special abilities." One day, he would come into his inheritance and become a better guardian. "But now we must go." It wouldn't do for the Others to find them here.

"Just one more minute," Melbourne said, seeing how his wife's face was filled with sadness.

Claire reached out to brush Daniel's cheek. "I love you, angel. I'm so sorry we have to leave." Then she moved over to do the same to her other son. "I love you, Jack. Take good care of Daniel for us."

Jack stirred in his sleep, subconsciously detecting a presence. As consciousness slowly beckoned, he opened his eyes. The room was dark with a sliver of moonlight shining into it. Funny, Jack thought as he closed his eyes again; he could have sworn he had heard his mother's voice…

**Sunday, 14****th**** December**

When Jack woke at almost 0800, he was surprised to see Daniel still in bed. Since his brother was sleeping soundly, Jack had a quick shower and shave before going to get breakfast ready. They were having pancakes again - a special treat for the weekend away - and he needed to heat up some from yesterday's breakfast before making some new ones. Hopefully, he would be finished that well in advance of his little brother's arrival.

Just as the first batch of new ones were finishing, Daniel appeared in the kitchen, halfway through a yawn. "Good morning, sleepyhead," Jack greeted him.

"Morning," Daniel replied automatically and then his eyes widened as he recognised the smell. "Pancakes!"

"Yep. You're just in time. Are the toys going to join us too?" Jack inquired, putting the pile of pancakes on a plate in the middle of the table.

"Ooh!" Daniel was off and returned a few seconds later with Thoth and Khufu. As he climbed onto the chair at the table, he stated, "I forgotted to wake up early."

"So I noticed." Jack had a bowl and wooden spoon all ready for Daniel, and he placed them in front of his brother. "Can you mix this stuff for me please?"

Daniel peered into the bowl to make sure that the invisible ingredients were already in there and then started mixing. A minute later, he gave the bowl back to Jack and then eagerly started eating his own pancakes before Thoth and Khufu could demand his attention to help them eat.

Breakfast passed quickly and everyone ate their fill. On his way to the bathroom, Daniel noticed that the Lego boat had somehow miraculously fixed itself. "Jack!" He carefully picked the boat up and scooted back into the kitchen to show his brother. "Look! It's a whole boat again!" His face was lit up with wonder and enthusiasm.

"I wonder how that happened," Jack said, fishing for a 'thank you'.

"The stars did it," Daniel theorised. "Daddy came down from the sky and fixed it all up!"

Ah well, he didn't really need the acknowledgement. "How about that?" Jack stated. He was pleased that Daniel was happy but miffed that the kid didn't think that he had done it. "You'd better put it back on the table so it doesn't fall apart again."

"Okay." Daniel did that, gave it a pat, and then headed off to the bathroom, sneaking a look over his shoulder twice to make sure that the boat was staying where he had put it.

Jack shook his head; the imagination of the young. When had he grown out of that stage? Probably about the time John beat him half to death. That was when he'd had to grow up and become the man of the house. At least Daniel wouldn't have to go through that - he could stay a child for as long as he wanted to.

Most of the early morning was spent finishing off the jigsaw. Daniel was so pleased to get it done - with Jack's help - and had his photo taken with it like he had with the last one. Then the two of them went outside to do some more fishing. Like the day before, the fish hadn't 'waked up' so neither of them caught anything but it was fun nonetheless.

After a late lunch, it was time to pack up. Daniel was a bit sad because the cabin had been so much fun and he'd had Jack all to himself for the most part but then he remembered about day-care and his new grandparents and the plane trip home, and then it was alright.

Daniel stayed awake the whole plane trip, enthusiastically recounting to Jack every single second of the mini-vacation. Jack was pleased that Daniel had had such a great time, and he could tell that the 'bad man' was already forgotten. It was bad luck that John had showed up just when he was getting a handle on his memories of the cabin but it had been a cathartic experience of sorts and he felt better because of it… so long as he didn't think about why his father had arrived.

Almost as soon as Daniel got into the car, he fell asleep, exhausted by his excitement. Jack, in a way, was grateful for the quiet - it seemed like Daniel had been talking non-stop throughout most of the day. Not that he minded but it had only been three weeks ago that he had stopped living on his own so an adjustment period was necessary.

At home, Jack carried Daniel inside and put him on the bed. The little boy was still sleeping soundly, thumb in his mouth. Jack grinned, ruffled Daniel's hair, and then went back outside to get the rest of their stuff, not noticing something fall to the floor just under the bed.

Daniel woke slowly to the sounds of the door closing and he stretched before opening his eyes. He was home again; that was nice. But something wasn't right… He looked around himself and realised that Thoth wasn't there. Where was Thoth?

His breathing quickened as he realised that his beloved teddy bear was nowhere in sight. Thoth was lost! "Jaaaaack!" he shouted as he virtually leapt off the bed and ran through the house to find his brother. "Jaaack!"

"Whoa, what is it?" Jack asked, grabbing Daniel as the kid almost barrelled into him in the living room.

"Thoth is lost! We lefted him behiiiiind!" Daniel was close to tears. "We have to find him!"

"Okay, okay. We'll check the car first," Jack decided, grabbing his keys.

Daniel followed him outside, very anxious and clinging with one hand to Jack's trousers. He couldn't live without Thoth because it was his favourite toy, given to him by his parents.

Jack did a thorough search of the car but there was no teddy bear to be found. He lifted a now-crying Daniel into his arms and headed back into the house. Settling Daniel comfortably onto one hip, Jack rang the hangar to see if the teddy had been left in the plane. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the teddy there either.

"He's lost!!" Daniel sobbed, extremely upset. He'd had Thoth every since he could remember. "I miss him, Jack! I want him to come hooooome!"

"I know." Jack rubbed Daniel's back as he thought rapidly through the events of the day. Daniel definitely had the teddy on the plane - Thoth had danced to 'Rudolph'. And Jack was sure that the teddy had been in the car as well because he had virtually been face-to-face with it when doing up Daniel's seatbelt.

So that left the house. Jack retraced his steps. He had brought Daniel inside, taken him into the bedroom and put him on the bed. Jack paused at the bedside, looking around the room. No blue bear in sight. Except…

Awkwardly, his brother still crying in his arms, Jack crouched down and peered under the bed. There, lying on his back, was Thoth. Jack ignored the beady look the bear was giving him and picked it up. "Look who I've found," he said to Daniel.

"Thoth!" Daniel grabbed the teddy and hugged it close to him. He had missed Thoth terribly. "Don't ever get lost again!" he scolded the teddy through his tears.

"I'm sorry, Danny, he must have fallen down there when I put you on the bed," Jack apologised, relieved the crisis was over; he didn't know what to have done if the bear couldn't have been found. "You okay now?"

Daniel nodded but rested his head on Jack's shoulder; Thoth had given him such a scare.

"How about we read for a little while?" Jack suggested; they both needed some quiet time.

"Okay."

Two books had been read aloud from cover to cover before Daniel felt like himself again. By that time, he was ready to start working on his Lego barge again. So the two of them built the barge and this time stuck the pieces together with glue. It wouldn't be ready to use that night but Jack promised that it should be completely dry on Monday after day-care. Dinner was eaten, Daniel talked on the phone to Grandma Iris and spent fifteen minutes telling her in great detail the whole weekend, and then it was bath time followed by bedtime.

"Don't get lost," Daniel warned Thoth as Jack pulled the covers up.

"I think he'll be safe tonight," Jack stated, planting a kiss on Daniel's forehead. "Now you have a good sleep so that you're ready for day-care tomorrow. And remember, we'll be getting your wise man outfit tomorrow."

"Yay!" Daniel said sleepily. "Night, Jack."

"Goodnight, Danny." Jack ruffled the blonde hair before turning the nightlight on and the overhead light off. Then he went into the living room to mindlessly watch some television before it was his turn for bed.


	44. Prodigal Son & Becoming a Wise Man

-1Sorry for the long wait - I hope you all enjoy this part. I spent much of November trying to write a novel (got 20,000 words, so that was pretty good) but I've finally had time to concentrate on this. I appreciate everyone's patience, and I'm aiming to get one more part out by the end of December.

Enjoy!

**Part 44 - Prodigal Son/Becoming a Wise Man**

**Monday 15th December**

While Daniel regaled his friends with tales of the weekend on Monday morning, his adopted grandparents were at home in Denver dealing with something a little more depressing.

Just after nine o'clock in the morning, the doorbell rang. Knowing that Iris was cleaning up in the kitchen, Tom shuffled out of the living room and to the front door. When he opened it, however, the last thing he expected to see was his estranged son. "John?"

"Dad." John O'Neill had caught an early flight from Minnesota on Sunday and had spent the rest of the day in Denver working out what he was going to say to his parents. The problem with that was, his speech had fled the moment his father opened the door. _Geez, he looks old_, John thought, staring at Tom. Sixteen years had made a big difference, and John wondered whether his mother would also look that old. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Tom stepped back slowly and allowed his eldest son to enter the house. He noted that John looked too pale, with dark rings under his eyes - most likely because of his terminal illness. It was sobering to be confronted with the fact that he would outlive his son, even one who had turned out like John had. "How are you?"

"Fine, all things considered," John replied. "I assume Jack told you what happened."

Tom nodded; Iris had filled him in after the phone call. "Come, sit down." He gestured towards the living room.

"Thanks." John went and sat down on the couch, reasoning that his parents would like the chairs. "Is Mom home?"

"I'll just go get her," Tom said. He didn't think Iris would be any more prepared for this than he was but they didn't have a choice. Walking into the kitchen, he stated softly, "It's John."

"Oh." Iris stopped what she was doing and just stared at her husband. "How does he look?"

"Not good," Tom said truthfully, wanting to prepare Iris for the shock.

Iris swallowed hard and pulled herself together. "I'll just put the kettle on then. I think we'll all need a cup of tea."

"That sounds like a good idea." After nearly sixty years together, Tom knew his wife almost better than he knew himself; this was how she coped with stressful situations. "I'll go back and keep him company."

When he went back into the living room, Tom sat down opposite his son. "She's just putting the kettle on. Do you still drink tea?"

"Occasionally," John replied. He hesitated for a few moments and then asked, "How is the rest of the family?"

"They're fine." Tom tried to judge whether John really wanted to know all the details.

"I wanted to keep in contact but… I doubted whether any of them would have talked to me," John admitted, ashamed of his past behaviour. He looked down at his hands, which were twisted together.

Tom silently agreed with him; his children hadn't been happy with their brother's behaviour.

"I know I did the wrong thing, Dad," John continued.

"Yes, you did," Tom agreed, knowing he needed to be honest with his son.

John accepted the rebuke and remained silent until Iris appeared in the doorway. "Mom," he greeted her, not knowing whether he should go over and hug her or something.

Iris was having the same dilemma. On the one hand, this was her eldest son; on the other, he had done something terrible that had left deep scars on her eldest grandson. "How are you keeping?" she asked, feeling that the question was redundant but unsure of what else to say.

"As well as can be expected," John replied. "You?"

"Oh, I'm fine." It was so strange to have John sitting in the living room once again after so many years. Iris moved to sit in her usual chair, her legs feeling a little wobbly. John looked gaunt, no doubt because of his illness, and he had aged so much in sixteen years.

"Jack told you I visited him."

Iris nodded. "He is still very angry with you."

John smiled ruefully. "So I noticed. I apologised but…" He shrugged it off, pretending it didn't hurt. "I really am sorry, Mom. I have no excuse for what I did. I was young and an idiot, and I became an alcoholic. Everything became magnified a hundred times when I was drunk and I took my moods out on my family."

Tom raised his eyebrows. Last time he had seen John, the younger man had been deep in denial about his actions. He wanted to ask what had changed but Iris got in before him.

This time, John's smile was tinged with love. "I spent a heap of years just going from place to place, getting drunk and trying not to miss my family. Then about six years ago, I found myself in the emergency room of a hospital. Apparently I'd been hit by a car but I still can't remember it. One of the nurses there gave me a good talking-to after I'd sobered up and she got me into a rehab clinic. She promised that if I went in there and stayed sober, she would go out with me."

"And you did," Iris guessed, her heart thumping faster that its normal rate as she listened to her son's tale. "She must be some woman if you changed your ways for her."

"She is," John stated. "I loved Claire but Tamsin… there was something more. And she didn't take any of my nonsense. First time I tried to bully her, she walked out, said she wasn't going to take any abuse from me. She's got two kids - great kids - and she needed to protect them as well. I realised then that I had to change if I wanted to hold onto her." He paused. "I wanted so many times to come back and apologise to Claire and Jack but I was a coward and left it too late. Tamsin kept telling me I needed to do it but it wasn't until I found out about my kidneys that I realised I didn't have much time left to apologise in. And then Claire died and I knew that I had to speak to Jack before I ran out of time."

There was silence as Tom and Iris took everything in. From what they gathered, John had found someone to love who had stood up to him right from the start. Claire had been feisty but she had also been young and idealistic, and she hadn't known how to handle a husband who was an alcoholic.

"I saw that Claire married again," John continued, trying to fill the silence, "and had another son. Is he like Claire?"

"Very much so," Iris replied, thinking about Daniel.

John nodded, the smile gone from his face. "She didn't deserve to die, to leave him behind."

"No, she didn't," Iris agreed, seeing Tom shaking his head out of the corner of her eye.

Hours passed quickly as John filled his parents in on the past sixteen years and received information in return. He laughed at the thought of his brother Malcolm being a grandfather already, and smiled sadly at never getting to see his grand-niece Tara or the three nieces and nephews born after he had left. John accepted that resignedly; if he had done things differently, life could have turned out so much better. Not that he didn't enjoy life with Tamsin and her children but it would have been nice to help raise Jack into adulthood.

Finally, at four o'clock, he said goodbye to his parents. "I have to catch the six o'clock flight back home," he said when they protested. "Tamsin will have my hide if I'm not home tomorrow morning."

Iris hugged him close, tears in her eyes. This could well be the last time she saw him and didn't want to let him go. "Now you come down for New Year's," she ordered, "and bring Tamsin and the children too. After all, they're part of the family now."

"Yes, Mom," John agreed although he wasn't sure whether Tamsin would agree to it. He turned to face his father. "Goodbye, Dad."

"Goodbye, son," Tom stated, shaking John's hand and fighting his own emotions. It brought back one's own mortality when faced with losing one's son. "Take care."

"You too." Deciding not to prolong the goodbyes, John walked down the pathway, turned once to wave, and then got into his car.

Iris and Tom waited until he was out of sight before heading back into the house to begin grieving.

Back in Colorado Springs, Daniel was enthusiastically talking to Jack on their way to Robert's house. Jack had met up with Mrs. Rothman earlier in the day, having completely forgotten that he was supposed to call her about whether she could take Daniel with her, and told her that he would take his brother. Daniel, although energetic, had been a little clingy - no doubt due to the Thoth scare - and Jack had decided that he might as well chauffeur his brother for his 'wise man' fitting.

Inside the Rothman house, Daniel stood still for a couple of minutes as Gina Rothman pinned the blue wise man costume together and then he started wriggling. "What are you doing?" he asked his friend's mother.

"I'm putting pins where I have to sew the material," she replied.

"Mommy likes to sew," Daniel informed her happily. "She made lots of my clothes in Egypt when she didn't buy them from the markets."

"It sounds like she was very good at sewing then," Gina commented.

"Uh-huh." Daniel lifted up one arm and inspected it before Gina gently tugged it down again. "Jack doesn't make me clothes though, he buyed new stuff for me."

Jack rolled his eyes, unseen by Daniel. So he wasn't domesticated - what guy in his situation was?

Robert, who had been sitting nearby on a chair, swinging his feet, stated, "My grandma makes me sweaters." He pulled on the red one he was currently wearing to indicate that it was home-made. "They itch."

Gina chuckled. "That's because it's new, remember? It will get better," she promised.

"Daddy liked wearing robes like the Egyptians and he said they itched all the time but they were better when it was hot 'cept if it was windy then the sand went inside it and itched even more," Daniel said with a giggle at the end. "Mommy said that Daddy shouldn't complain about sand in his underwear if he wore robes and then Daddy would scratch his bottom and agree with her and he said that he would never wear them again but he always did."

Both little boys giggled at the thought of sand in their underwear and scratching one's bottom, and Jack was hard-pressed not to grin. Ah, what it was like to be young!

Amidst much laughter, Gina finished the fitting and then sent all three males outside to play while she did the sewing. Jack took the boys out to the backyard and supervised them while they ran around enthusiastically. When Daniel and Robert had exhausted themselves, they called Jack over to help push them on the set of swings.

Finally, the costume was finished and Daniel tried it on. He looked himself over and approved of the blue outfit. "It's very cool," he praised before turning to his brother. "Look, Jack, I'm a wise man!"

"Yes, you are," Jack agreed, his grin escaping at how cute his little brother looked.

"Why were they called wise mans? Were they very smart?" Daniel wanted to know as he tried to see what his costume looked like from the back.

"Most likely. Just like you." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair then turned to Gina. "Is that it?"

"That's it. I'll do the final sewing tonight and give it to you tomorrow," she stated.

"Thanks." This was much better than making the costume himself. "I appreciate this."

"It's no problem," Gina waved it off. She helped Daniel out of the costume and gave him a big smile. "Are you all ready for the concert on Friday?"

"Yep!" Daniel nodded vigorously. "I know my lines and what the angel is s'posed to say and Mary and Joseph and everyone!" He was very proud of himself for that and he liked helping if anyone forgot their lines.

"I know lots too!" Robert piped up, not wanting to be outdone by Daniel even if they were friends. "We could do the whole concert ourselves!"

"Yeah!" Daniel agreed, gearing up to do just that.

"No," Jack disagreed, "you don't want to ruin the surprise, do you?" He didn't really want to sit through a rendition of the Nativity done by two four-year-olds, not when he had to do it again in a few days.

Daniel hadn't thought of that. "Oops!" he giggled. Oh well, he could entertain his toys with it later. And his Mommy and Daddy and maybe Oma if they were listening. That would be fun!


	45. Meeting Santa

Yes, I did it! One part written in just over a week! Of course, it helped that part of it had been written a year ago when the idea first came to me g . And it is Christmas-y, so I hope everyone enjoys it and if I don't get another part out before then, Merry Christmas everyone!!

**Part 45 - Meeting Santa**

**Wednesday, 17****th**** December**

Jack was getting rather tired of the question: "When will Grandpa Nick be home?" He had heard that so many times in the past few days from his curious and enthusiastic little brother that he felt like hitting his head against a wall. Or a window, considering that was currently closer. They were on their way to the mall because of a suggestion Lou had made, and Daniel was full of questions.

"Jack, Cassie said that she got photoed with Santa Claus yesterday," Daniel changed the topic yet again. "Isn't Santa at the North Pole? Why does he come down here to have photos with people? Did he bring the reindeer too? Are we going to be photoed with Santa?"

"Yes, you're going to get your photo taken with Santa today," Jack replied. "No, he didn't bring the reindeer." Or at least, Jack assumed that Santa didn't because really, how many reindeer were there near Colorado Springs?

"But why does he come here to take photos with people?" Daniel persisted. "Who's making all the toys in the North Pole?"

"The elves make the toys, remember? Santa likes going around all the different countries to see children in person and make sure they're being good," Jack improvised, figuring that theory would hold until Daniel realised that there was more than one 'Santa' in the city. Maybe then, he could say that Santa could make copies of himself so that he was able to visit everywhere before Christmas… yes, that could work.

Daniel thought that was a good idea. "Do you think I should tell Santa that I was in Egypt last year and that's why I wasn't on his list and now I am 'cos I'm living with you?"

"Santa's pretty smart, he'll already know that," Jack wanted to spare the poor man a long-winded explanation. He pulled into the car park but there were no spaces available. Jack shook his head; it sure was getting busy now. He went back out onto the street and drove a couple of blocks until he found a vacant space. They would have to walk back to the mall but it wasn't far and Jack figured it would wear off some of Daniel's energy.

He got his little brother out of the car seat as Daniel continued to chat to him. Taking Daniel's hand, Jack headed back towards the mall. At the end of the block, they came to a pedestrian crossing with lights and stopped a little way back from the street, many shoppers already in front of them.

"Jack, why aren't they going across the road?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Because the light says 'Don't Walk'. If it says that, then you're not allowed to cross the road, you have to stop because it's not safe," Jack explained. "When it says 'Walk', then we can go."

Daniel frowned as he absorbed the information. "How does it know when it's safe?" was his next question.

"I'll explain on the other side," Jack stated, making sure Daniel's hand was securely in his. "You ready?"

Daniel nodded. He kept his eyes on the lights and when 'Walk' lit up, he started walking. However, when he was almost all the way across, the light changed and Daniel tried to stop. "Jack! Jack, we have to stop!"

"Why?" Jack kept pulling Daniel along even though the little boy was trying to stand still.

"It says 'Don't Walk'. We're not supposed to walk!" All around him, people kept moving and Daniel was scared that they were breaking the rules.

"Oh boy," Jack muttered. He picked Daniel up and carried him across to the other side, fortunately before anyone got mad at them.

"Jack, you broked the rules!" Daniel continued, worried that his brother and all the people would get into trouble.

"I didn't break the rules, Danny, I just didn't explain them very well," Jack admitted; he should have done a more thorough job. "If you're crossing the road, you're allowed to keep going, otherwise you'll be surrounded by all those cars. The 'Don't Walk' sign means that people shouldn't _start_ to cross the road."

Daniel frowned as he tried to understand that; it was a very complicated rule. "Why doesn't it wait until everyone's finished crossing?"

"Because if it did, the cars would never get across. There's lots of people," Jack said, turning so that Daniel could see the hundreds of people milling around the streets. "If the sign always said 'Walk', they would just keep coming and the cars wouldn't be able to get past."

"Oh." Daniel supposed that made sense. They didn't have those kind of signs in Egypt though - everyone just went across the street whenever they wanted to. He rested his head on Jack's shoulder, relieved that no-one would be getting into trouble.

The rest of the trip into the mall went without a hitch, Jack carrying Daniel much of the way. Just outside the mall, he put his brother down and held onto his right hand. "Okay, let's go find Santa."

It wasn't hard to find Santa - there was a long queue already. Santa was seated on his throne-like chair in his special 'grotto' in the middle of the mall, dozens of children and parents waiting patiently - or impatiently - for their turn. Jack sized up the length of the queue and knew they were in for a long wait.

"Where's Santa?" Daniel wanted to know, standing on his tiptoes in order to see this person that everyone was excited about.

Jack picked him up and settled him onto one hip. At six-foot-two, Jack's height allowed him to see over many of the people in front of them. He pointed to the red-clothed figure at the head of the line. "See the guy with the white beard? That's Santa."

Daniel scrutinised the legendary person with all the gravity a four-year-old can muster. "He doesn't have a big belly," he commented, remembering the description Jack had quoted awhile ago.

"That's because it's not Christmas yet," Jack replied, rapidly trying to think of a reason. "See, lots of people put food out for Santa, like milk and cookies, stuff like that, and he has to try them all or everyone would be disappointed. So after Christmas, he gets kind of… rounded. But he needs to be thinner beforehand so he can fit down all the chimneys."

"Oooh," Daniel said in understanding.

The woman in front of Jack turned around and smiled at him. "That was good," she said in an low voice.

"Thanks," Jack replied the same way.

"You sound like you've got a lot of experience answering tricky questions," she continued, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

"More than I'd like," Jack stated. He took in the woman's two older children, who were standing nearby, bored. "Does it get any easier?"

"No, just more embarrassing," she replied.

Daniel wasn't paying any attention to the conversation; he was too busy trying to process everything that he could see. There were lots of balls and ribbons hanging down from the ceiling that he hadn't noticed on previous trips, and lots of shiny paper wrapped around things. "Jack, what's that called?" he said, pointing to the shiny paper.

"That's tinsel. It's used for decorating the Christmas tree," he stated.

"Do we have some? When are we putting up our tree? Will we put some on our tree? Why have they put theirs around other stuff?" Daniel questioned without waiting for answers.

More questions! Answering the last question first, Jack said, "They put it everywhere because it makes things look Christmas-y. We have some and when we put up the tree on Friday or Saturday, we'll put some tinsel on it."

"Good." Daniel decided that he liked tinsel - it was very pretty.

More questions were asked and answered, and Jack chatted to the mother in front of him a few times too because it was a long wait. Finally, after about half an hour or so, Jack and Daniel reached the front of the queue.

Daniel watched as the two girls in front of him went up and each sat on Santa's knee. He observed the tradition solemnly for a minute and then said to Jack, "Are you going to come with me?" He wasn't keen on the idea of going up to Santa by himself.

"Adults aren't allowed," Jack stated quietly, "but I'm going to be right over there." He pointed to where the girls' mother was waiting. "All you have to do is go over, sit on Santa's knee and get your photo taken, and tell Santa what you want for Christmas. But no asking for things like a camel, okay? Because Santa knows that a camel wouldn't like it here."

"Okay," Daniel reluctantly agreed. He let Jack put him down but held tightly onto his hand until a girl dressed as an elf came over to them.

"Hi, my name's Sparkles," she said, bending over so that she was Daniel's height. "You ready to see Santa?"

Daniel nodded slowly and looked up at Jack.

"You'll be okay, Daniel," Jack said, ruffling the floppy blonde hair.

Sparkles held out her hand and Daniel took it, looking back over his shoulder as he was led towards Santa. He saw Jack moving over to where the adults had to wait and briefly wondered whether he should just go over there too but then Santa said, "Well, who do we have here?"

Daniel looked up at the old man with the white beard but didn't say anything.

"Why don't you sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas, Daniel," Santa invited, patting his knee.

Daniel's eyes widened. "How do you know my name?"

"I know many things," Santa replied with a smile. He lifted the boy onto his lap without a hint of effort and waited until the photo was taken before asking, "Is this your first time visiting me?"

Blue eyes still wide, Daniel nodded. "I lived in Egypt since I was born and you don't visit over there so Jack teached me about you when I came to live with him," he explained.

"Ah. And who is Jack?" Santa asked.

"Him." Daniel pointed to Jack. "He's my brother and I live with him now 'cos my parents are angels."

"I see." Santa felt sorry for the little boy but knew there was nothing he could do to alleviate any grief or pain.

"He said I have to ask for something for Christmas," Daniel continued, reaching out and fiddling with Santa's gold buttons, which had reindeer on them. "But I'm not allowed to ask for a camel so could I have some tools like my mommy and daddy had? They were archaeol'gists and I'm going to be just like them. Ooh, and can Jack have something too? He likes planes lots and lots."

"I'll see what I can do," Santa promised.

Daniel spontaneously hugged Santa, finding him to be a very nice old man. "Thank you, Santa."

"You're welcome, Daniel," Santa said, hugging him back.

Over in the 'adult' corner, Jack watched Daniel hugging Santa and had to smile; it seemed his brother had overcome his shyness quickly. He crouched down when Daniel came bouncing over to him, his talk with Santa concluded. "Hey, kiddo, how'd it go?"

"He knew my name!" Daniel enthused, "and I asked him for some tools like Daddy has, and I asked him if he could bring you an airplane, and he said he would see what he could do, and he has buttons with reindeer on them."

"Sounds cool." Jack took Daniel's hand and led him over to where another elf was waiting with the photo. Thank goodness for digital photos, he thought as he was presented with the Christmas-themed card with the picture inside; no long waiting for the finished product.

Daniel bounced up and down eagerly. "Can I see? Can I see?" Jack opened the card and showed him the photo. "Oooh." He thought it looked like a good picture of him. "Can we show Grandpa Nick and Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom when they come?"

"You betcha." Jack figured that it would have to go somewhere prominent so that everyone could see it. "Now come on, we'd better get home." All that had taken longer than he had thought it would and there were things that needed to be done at home to prepare for his grandparents, who would be arriving the next day. Add to that, a Christmas tree that needed putting up and decorating, Daniel's concert, Christmas shopping, and wrapping gifts, and the next week was going to be very busy indeed.


	46. Iris and Tom arrive

-1**Part 46 - Iris and Tom arrive**

Daniel was excited about a great many things. He was excited about his Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom coming to stay and see him in the nativity play. He was excited about playing a wise man. And he was excited about Christmas although he didn't really know why except that everyone else was excited so he had decided that he would be too.

Yesterday had been exciting. He and Jack had gone to see Santa Claus at the mall, which he had liked, and then Jack had bought him a tiny little bed that he could sleep on while his grandparents were staying. It had Nemo fish all over it and folded up to make a comfy chair. He had tried sitting in it while reading last night and tonight he would get to sleep on it. The bed even had a warm sleeping bag attached to it so that he wouldn't get cold.

Right now, after a busy time at day-care making paper chains to put on the Christmas tree - which Jack still hadn't put up yet - they were going to pick Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom up from the train. "Why aren't they coming in a car?" Daniel inquired of his older brother.

"Because Grandpa Tom doesn't drive long distances any more, and Grandma Iris doesn't like driving at all," Jack replied. The latter had fact had surprised him when he had learnt about it many years ago. Since Iris had come of age when World War II ended, there had been really been no need for her to drive, especially as she got married young and had Tom to chauffeur her around. These days, if Tom couldn't take her shopping, she either called a cab or asked the nice young housewife next door to drive her.

Daniel could sympathise with Grandpa Tom - it was a reeeaaallly long way from Denver to Colorado Springs. "Why doesn't Grandma drive?"

"How about you ask her that tonight?" Jack replied, knowing there was a fifty-fifty chance of Daniel forgetting by then.

"Okay." Daniel was silent for a few seconds. "Are we going to dec'rate the Christmas tree tonight? Can we put my chains up?"

"We'll see whether Grandma and Grandpa are too tired before we decide," Jack stated. "But we'll definitely put the chains up somewhere. We might put the tree up tomorrow after your play and then go shopping for Christmas presents on Saturday. How does that sound?"

"Super-dooper!" Daniel enthused before remembering something. "Uh-oh."

Jack glanced in the rear-vision mirror. "What?"

"I need to get presents for you and Grandma and Grandpa Tom and Grandpa Nick," Daniel lamented, "and I don't have any money."

"We'll work something out," Jack promised. He also knew that he had to help Daniel buy Cassie a birthday present too, which would have to be done on Saturday. Oh, and he might have to get some party clothes for Daniel as well - what _were_ kids wearing to parties these days anyway? "Maybe I can give you something for helping with the laundry."

"Thank you!" Daniel wasn't sure what he wanted to get everyone yet but he wanted the presents to be special. He would have to think very carefully.

Fifteen minutes later, Daniel and Jack were waiting - one of them impatiently - on the platform for the train to arrive. Daniel was looking around himself with great interest as it was different to the stations in Egypt. Then he jumped when the train honked loudly. "Jack, is that it? Where is it? I can't see it!"

"It's just coming around the corner," Jack said, lifting his brother up and settling him onto one hip. "See?"

"Ooooh!" Daniel was very impressed by the sleek lines of the train. "It's not the same as the ones in Egypt," he observed.

"Well, some countries have different-looking trains," was all Jack could come up with for that comment. "When the train comes past, see if you can spot Grandma and Grandpa, okay?"

"Yeah sure, you betcha," Daniel sing-songed, already trying to spot his new grandparents even though the train was still some distance away. "I can't see them!"

"Just wait a minute," Jack said, shifting his hold slightly so that Daniel didn't fall out of his arms.

The first lot of windows went by so quickly that Daniel didn't see anyone but by the third carriage, the train had slowed down greatly. "I see them, I see them!" Daniel exclaimed, pointing to the fourth carriage which had just passed them.

"Well done," Jack praised as he set off towards the door of that carriage. As the train came to a stop, Jack quickened his pace, knowing his grandparents might need help with the luggage.

Too many people getting off the train prevented Jack from getting close to the door and by the time he did, his grandparents were stepping down onto the platform with the help of a porter.

"Grandma!" Daniel shouted, temporarily deafening Jack in one ear. He waved vigorously as well, happy to see them. "Grandpa!"

Jack weaved through the crowd a few paces until he was standing in front of his grandparents. He kissed Iris on the cheek as he greeted her and then let Daniel hug her. "Did you have a good trip?"

"It was quite interesting,' Iris replied, giving her youngest grandson a kiss. "And how are you, Daniel?"

"Super cool! I have lots and lots and _lots_ to tell you," he stated enthusiastically.

"Let's wait until we get to the car first," Jack ordered, putting Daniel down. "Now, hold onto Grandma's hand so she doesn't get lost."

"Okay!" Daniel obeyed and then put his other hand in Tom's big one. "I won't let you get losted," he promised.

Tom couldn't help chuckling. "That's a great comfort, Daniel," he said to the little boy, who grinned proudly.

Jack picked the two suitcases up and followed the others out to the car. After putting the cases in the trunk, he settled his grandfather into the front seat while Iris assisted Daniel in getting strapped into his booster seat.

Then Daniel chatted all the way home about his day. "…and we had to dress up in our costumes for the nativ-ty play 'cos everyone's coming to see it tomorrow and the teacher said that we had to practise with the clothes and baby and everything. 'Cept it's not really a baby, it's just a doll, but no-one's s'posed to know," he said confidentially as Jack parked the car in the garage.

"We won't tell anyone," Iris promised solemnly. She was amused by Daniel's storytelling and amazed that he seemed to be well adjusted to his new life. Only a month ago, the little boy had been thrust from his old life into a strange country but he seemed to have adapted well. And part of that was probably due to Jack, Iris thought as she helped Daniel undo his seatbelt. Her eldest grandson seemed to be coping well with fatherhood. Certainly better than at Thanksgiving, anyway.

"Oh, I have to show you my room!" Daniel exclaimed as he followed his grandma out of the car. He held onto her hand and started to lead her inside. "Oh, my chains!" Daniel ran back to where Jack was getting the suitcases out of the car. "Jack!"

"I know." Jack put the backpack on Daniel and then handed his brother the paper chains. "Be careful with them."

Daniel nodded as he accepted his creation. He carried the chains carefully in both hands as he walked up to the front door. "I made these myself," he announced proudly to his grandparents.

"They look wonderful," Iris replied, receiving a big grin from Daniel in return.

Daniel fairly bounced with happiness. "Hurry up, Jack! I have to show Grandma and Grandpa my room!"

"Hold your horses, kiddo," Jack stated as he stepped up onto the front porch with the cases. "What have you got in these, Grandma? The kitchen sink?" The cases were _heavy_.

"Oh, just this and that." Iris wasn't going to explain how many presents she had brought down with her. She figured that Daniel would need a few more clothes though, which was why she was planning on doing some shopping over the weekend.

Jack opened the door and ushered everyone inside. He had the feeling that Daniel was going to get a lot of presents this year.

"I don't have any horses," Daniel responded to Jack's comment as he rushed inside, put the chains on the nearest surface, took his shoes and backpack off, and picked the chains up again. "Jack, where do I put these?"

"Coffee table," Jack replied, "then come and put your backpack away." He was getting Daniel trained to do that, like taking off the shoes at the front door, but sometimes the little boy forgot.

"Okay!" Daniel dumped the chains on the coffee table, came back to collect his pack, and latched onto his grandfather's hand. "I'll show you my room, Grandpa!"

Jack put the cases down and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "Slow down, kiddo," he gently admonished Daniel. "I know you're excited but remember that there's plenty of time." The last thing he wanted was for Daniel to knock or pull either of this grandparents over. "And remember what we talked about?"

Daniel frowned as he tried hard to remember. Oh yeah - Grandpa and Grandma can't go as fast as him so he had to slow down and not rush. He nodded. "Sorry, Jack."

"That's okay." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair to show that he wasn't mad about it. "Now, while I take the suitcases to my room, you can show Grandma and Grandpa your room, and then we'll decide where to put the chains." And with any luck, Daniel would wear himself out early so Jack could relax. Although if Iris brought up the subject of John, he wouldn't be very happy.

Daniel nodded again and set off at a walk, still holding his grandfather's hand. He couldn't help bouncing though - he was _very_ excited. "This is my room," he announced when he got there.

"It looks very nice," Iris stated, pleased to see that it looked like a little boy's room.

"That's my bed but Jack's going to sleep in it and I'm going to sleep in this chair that folds out to make a bed and it's real comfy and warm, and I have a table and chairs for drawing and lots of crayons and paper, and a bookshelf for all my books and toys, and that's the special chest where I keep pictures of me and Mommy and Daddy, and I have a chart to tell me how big I've growed and one for my toys too but they don't grow much, and I have pictures on the wall too, and angel pictures of Mommy and Daddy, and…" Daniel paused for breath and looked around to see if he had missed anything. "Oh, and this is the rug which Mommy gave me in Egypt and it's really special."

"It's all lovely," Iris praised, smiling at the young boy. The bookshelf needed filling up though.

"Absolutely," Tom agreed; he liked the posters and rug as they gave colour to the room. And he thought that the angel drawings were a nice touch too.

"Would you like to sit down?" Daniel invited, pointing to the chairs.

Both his grandparents chuckled. "I don't think we would be able to get back up again," Tom commented, thinking about how much his bones would ache if he tried to get down that low.

"I'd help you," Daniel stated. "I'm really strong." He flexed his arm muscles in demonstration as he had seen his father do on a couple of occasions. "See?"

"Oh my, yes, you look very strong," Iris agreed. "But I don't think we should risk it."

Daniel sighed. "O-kay." He would have to do something else to show them how strong he was. Hmm… there didn't appear to be anything in the room that he could use at the moment. Maybe later, then. "Oh! This is Taweret," he grabbed his toy hippo off the bed and showed it to his grandparents. "I got her at the zoo and I'm the daddy of one of the hippos and Jack said that we might go back to the zoo after Christmas so I can see my hippo again."

"That's wonderful," Iris stated, noting that Daniel certainly had inherited his enthusiastic personality from both his parents.

Jack poked his head around the bedroom door. "Daniel, you ready to put those chains up?"

"Yes!" Daniel ran out of the room and down into the living room before he remembered that maybe he should have helped his grandpa so he quickly went back again. On the way back, he found Grandpa Tom coming towards him without any help. He looked behind his grandfather and asked, "Do you need any help, Grandma?"

"No, I'm fine, Daniel, but thank you for asking," Iris said.

"Remember, Daniel - walk," Jack instructed, hoping to impress upon his little brother the need for going slowly around older people.

"Oops!" Daniel clamped both hands over his mouth. "I forgot!"

"Well, if you forget again, you won't be getting ice-cream for dessert tonight." Jack figured that just might make Daniel remember to slow down.

Oh! Daniel resolved that he wouldn't forget to walk instead of run because he didn't want to miss out on ice-cream.

In a low voice that wouldn't carry to Daniel - who had quickly walked back into the living room, Iris stated to Jack, "His running doesn't bother us." It was all part of being young.

"Just wait until he runs into you," Jack replied in similar voice. "The house isn't all that big - he doesn't need to run everywhere."

Iris shook her head but didn't say anything else; it was up to Jack on how to discipline Daniel.

"Where can we put it?" Daniel asked no-one in particular. He twirled around, trying to pick the best spot.

Jack went over and put his hands on Daniel's shoulders again; he was getting worn out just looking at the kid. "Settle down," he warned.

Daniel giggled but didn't continue spinning. "Where are we going to put it, Jack?"

"How about…" Jack looked around the room for a suitable space. "Over the fireplace." There was a mantelpiece over the fireplace which was looking somewhat bare at the moment.

"Yes!" Daniel held the chains up for Jack to put them over the mantelpiece. "Please and thank you, Jack!"

Taking the chain from his little brother, Jack draped it over the mantelpiece so that an even amount hung down at each end. "How does that look?"

"Super, Jack!" Daniel clapped his hands and then ran over to hug his brother's leg. "Now can we put up the Christmas tree?"

Jack took a look at the clock - time to start getting dinner ready. "How about you draw a picture for Grandma and Grandpa while I start cooking?"

"Okay." Daniel set off for his bedroom at a quick walk.

Iris chuckled. "He seems like a handful today," she commented from her place on the couch. Tom was seated next to her.

"He's been bouncing and running since just after six this morning," Jack informed her as he rubbed a hand over his face. "I swear he's hyperactive."

"No, just excited," Iris disagreed, thinking back to when her children and grandchildren were young. "You were just as bad at his age. You loved it when we visited and Claire could never get you to sit still except for mealtimes."

"So it's genetic then," Jack decided. He stepped out of the way as Daniel came back into the room and settled down, kneeling next to the coffee table. "How does lasagne sound for dinner?"

"Delicious," Iris and Tom replied together, and then they both laughed. "Do you need a hand, Jack?" Iris offered.

Jack shook his head. "I'll give you a yell if I do." He wanted to show his grandparents that he could cook good meals for Daniel, even though they had never said anything regarding that ability. He headed into the kitchen.

"I'm going to draw me in the nativ-ty play," Daniel announced, getting his crayons out and spreading them over the table. Once he had done that, he could get some of his photos out and show them to his grandparents. Daniel sighed; there was so much to do.


	47. Evening Chatter

-1Sorry there's been such a long wait - work has been very busy for the past few weeks and I haven't felt much like writing. Still, here is a short chapter that will hopefully tide you over until I get the next part done, which should be the nativity play and Grandparent's Day. Enjoy!

**Part 47 - Evening Chatter**

The drawing of the 'nativ-ty' play was so detailed that it took until dinnertime for Daniel to finish it. He had to put in every single person who was in the play, consequently filling up all of the page with people. Then, of course, the explanation took several minutes as Daniel told his grandparents who everyone was and what they were in the play and whether he liked them or not and so on.

Dinnertime was also filled with chatter, although there were occasions when Jack or his grandparents were able to get a word in while Daniel was chewing his food. After the main course, Jack made sure Daniel's face and hands were clean before getting the ice-cream ready.

Iris and Tom shared a glance; Jack was getting better at doing the little things, which pleased them both. They could also see how much he loved his little brother, and that Daniel positively adored Jack. It was good and they were proud of them both for coping so well with the situation.

As soon as the ice-cream was finished, and Jack said he could go, Daniel slid off his chair and ran into his room to get some photos to show his grandparents. He brought one out, put it on the coffee table and then ran back for another one.

"Whoa, there, Danny," Jack said, grabbing hold of his brother. "Grandma and Grandpa are here for a whole week, remember? How about we leave some for the other days?"

Daniel paused and thought about that. He wanted to share everything with his grandparents and he wanted to share now. But he sighed; this sounded like it was one of Jack's rules. "Can I show them one lot now?"

"Sure." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair, wanting to take the sting out of the disappointment. "How about we start with the first one tonight?"

"Okay," Daniel agreed; that was the one he had got out first anyway. He ran into the living room, calling, "Grandma! Grandpa! Come and look at my photos!" He climbed onto the couch and bounced until everyone came into the room. "Grandma, you sit here and Grandpa can sit here," he announced, pointing to the spaces either side of him.

Hiding their amused smiles, Iris and Tom obeyed while Jack sat in the chair nearby. When everyone was settled, Daniel launched into an explanation of every photo in the album, secure in the knowledge that he was being listened to by people he loved.

It took Daniel an hour to run out of steam; some of the stories attached to the photos were quite long and Daniel didn't necessarily stay on topic anyway. Iris helped Daniel with his bath, then he was put to bed by his brother and both grandparents.

"Story?" Daniel sleepily queried after Tom wished him goodnight, curling up inside the sleeping bag attached to the chair/bed. Thoth was tucked under one arm, and one thumb was headed towards his mouth.

"Of course." Iris sat on the chair that Jack had brought in while Tom retired out to the living room again, leaving the story to the expert. Jack sat on the bed, not wanting to disrupt his routine with Daniel by leaving. "Have you ever heard the story of 'The Princess and the Pea'?"

Daniel shook his head; he knew lots of mythology but not much of the tales that Grandma Iris told him.

Iris smiled, knowing that after Christmas Daniel would soon know all these stories as she had bought him a large book of fairytales. "Once upon a time, there was a king who had a son. The prince wanted to marry a real princess and although he met many princesses, he always found something wrong with them. They were too tall or too short or too sad or too happy - they were never good enough.

"One night, while the prince was at the castle with his father, there was a terrible storm. There was a knock at the door, and the king opened it to see a princess standing there. Of course, she didn't look like a princess because she was so wet, but she told everyone that she was. However, they didn't believe her. The queen was especially suspicious so when she told the maids to make up a bed for the young woman, she put a pea underneath the bottom mattress and then had twenty mattresses piled on top of it."

Daniel frowned sleepily. "Why did she do that?" That seemed very silly to him.

"Well, she thought that if the young woman was a real princess, she would be sensitive enough to feel the pea even through all those mattresses," Iris replied. "She then had twenty feather mattresses put on top of that, so that the princess had to use a ladder to climb into bed. In the morning, the queen went and asked the young woman if she had slept well. And what do you think she said?"

"Ummm… no?" Daniel ventured.

"That's right," Iris praised. "The young woman said that she hadn't slept at all because there was a lump in the mattress, and the queen knew that she was indeed a princess. So she told the prince, who was very happy that a real princess had been found, and he married the young woman as soon as he could."

"And they lived happily ever after," Jack added the traditional ending as he came over to kiss Daniel's forehead. "Goodnight, Danny."

"Night, Jack. Night, Grandma," Daniel said before snuggling further into his sleeping bag. His eyes fluttered closed, no longer able to stay open, and he drifted quickly into sleep.

"Goodnight, Daniel," Iris said softly, stroking his cheek. The young boy was so adorable, which made it very sad that he'd had his life changed so dramatically only four weeks ago. She slowly stood up and followed Jack out of the room.

When everyone was settled in the living room, Jack ventured to ask, "So just how many presents did you bring Daniel?" He wasn't jealous that his brother might be getting a lot of things but a little annoyed that his grandparents didn't think that he could provide them for Daniel.

"A few," was all that Iris was going to admit to. She actually had close to twenty presents hidden in her suitcase; books, toys and clothes were the main items. Not having many young grandchildren now - the youngest was fourteen, not counting the fostered boy - she loved going out and buying things for Tara and now Daniel. "Children need so many things these days."

"Daniel doesn't," Jack observed. "He's been raised without lots of things like toys." He had noticed that Daniel was very self-sufficient in his play, quite content to do things like drawing or reading, or 'ex-ki-vate' imaginary objects.

"I realise that," Iris stated, miffed that Jack was basically telling her that she was being too extravagant. "Which is why we're providing books for Santa to give him." She decided not to mention the toys or clothes yet, not wanting Jack to feel pressured into buying Daniel an equal amount of gifts.

"Oh." Since Daniel loved books, Jack couldn't really object to that. "Did you get me anything?" he asked curiously, a smidgeon of jealousy evident in the question.

Tom chuckled as Iris replied, "Of course," which made Jack look suspiciously at both of them. He wasn't sure whether the amusement was because of his childish question or the possibility that they hadn't got him anything. Pushing aside that negative thought, Jack decided it must be the former.

Iris hid her amusement behind an innocent smile; boys never did fully grow up. Her sons and grandsons all loved Christmas still, and would be most disappointed if they didn't get any presents. This year, knowing that Daniel would get a lot of attention from everyone, she and Tom had splurged on a telescope for Jack so that he could indulge his interest in astronomy more often. They had arranged to have it delivered on Christmas Day so that Jack didn't try to discover what it was before then. And she had got him the usual socks and handkerchiefs as well to throw him off the scent - and if it made him more surprised to receive the telescope, all the better. "Your uncles and aunts have sent presents with us for you and Daniel, and so has Sophie."

Jack mentally groaned; now he would have to go shopping for more presents. He and Sophie usually exchanged gifts, and he sent gift vouchers to his aunts and uncles, but with everything else going on in his life, he had completely forgotten about getting presents for the family. "How big a tree do I need to get?" he questioned resignedly, referring to the amount of space needed underneath for all the presents.

"A big one," Tom replied, enjoying this immensely. "Big enough for a bike," he added.

"A bike?" Jack echoed in disbelief. Just what had his grandparents bought for Daniel?

"That's right. Your Aunt Lizzie is sending down Ben's old bicycle, completely restored and with training wheels," Iris elaborated casually, smiling at the look on Jack's face; surprising her eldest grandson was fun.

"Every boy should have a bike," Tom contributed.

Jack shook his head; at this rate, if each of his aunts and uncles gave Daniel presents that big, he was going to have to move to a bigger house. Not to mention that Daniel wouldn't be very impressed with the small gifts that Jack had been planning on buying, like more Lego and pencils, and some DVDs. "There's nowhere to ride it."

"What about that park?" Iris asked. She had looked up a map of Colorado Springs before she had come. "It's only a few blocks away."

Great; another thing to fit into each day's routine. "Grandma…"

"So, found a nice young woman yet?" Iris expertly changed the subject.

Jack sighed. Not that he didn't love his grandparents, because he did, but it was going to be a long visit.


	48. Grandparents Day

I apologise for the long wait. March was full of family crises and in April, I just couldn't get the chapter going. But it's finished and I'm hoping that I can get another one out soon to make up for last month. Thank you to all that have waited patiently g.

**Part 48 - Grandparents Day/Nativity Play**

**Friday, 19****th**** December**

"Jack! Jack, wake up! We're going to be late!" Daniel stood next to the bed - his bed that Jack was currently sleeping in - and used Thoth to tap his feet.

Waking with a start, Jack opened his blurry eyes to see Daniel nearby. In the dark. Well, not quite the dark as the night-light, which had been shifted to the other end of the room so it didn't disturb him but provided light for Daniel, was still shining. After blinking hard a few times, Jack focused on his little brother. "What?"

"We're going to be late for the nativ-ty play," Daniel insisted, shifting so that he could see Jack's face clearly.

Jack grabbed his watch off the bedside table and looked at it. Then he groaned. "Daniel, it's five-forty. We don't have to be up for another hour."

"But we have to get my costume and eat breakfast and get Grandma and Grandpa up and--"

"We will have plenty of time for that when we get up," Jack stated firmly. "Now go back to bed."

Daniel silently debated whether to continue or not, then decided that Jack was using the firm voice which came right before the mean voice. He sighed heavily; he didn't want Jack to get mad at him. "O-kay." He trudged back to the bed and slid into the sleeping bag. He would just have to make sure that Jack did everything later and that they weren't late.

Jack shook his head and then closed his eyes, a smile sneaking onto his face. Daniel was certainly enthusiastic about the coming day, which normally Jack would be thrilled about but not this early in the morning! He would be better equipped to cope with Daniel in an hour - if he got back to sleep, that was!

Jack did manage to get some more sleep but he was woken by an insistent tapping right on the dot of six-forty - how had Daniel managed that without a clock?

"Can we get up now?" Daniel asked as he moved closer to Jack's face, teddy bear hugged tightly to his chest.

"Yes, we can get up now," Jack sighed, feeling a bit heavy-headed from being woken earlier.

"Yay! I'll go wake Grandma and Grandpa!" Daniel was off out the door before Jack had a chance to grab him.

"Oh boy," Jack muttered, hoping that his grandparents weren't going to be grumpy with Daniel likely jumping on them to wake them up. No, Daniel wouldn't jump; he had learnt not to with Jack so he would probably be more cautious with Iris and Tom.

Hopefully.

Getting up and slipping a sweater on - it was cold this morning - Jack headed into the hallway so that he could hear what Daniel was doing.

He found his little brother peering around the doorway into the darkened bedroom. "Whatcha doing, Danny?" he queried softly.

"I don't know which side Grandma's on," Daniel confided, figuring that she would be the easiest one to wake up but not wanting to pounce on his grandfather; he might get grumpy like Daddy and Jack did. His Mommy never had though, so he believe that Grandma Iris wouldn't either.

"Uh…" Jack peered into the bedroom but couldn't tell just by the lumps in the bed. "Tell you what, let's have breakfast first and get everything ready, and then we'll wake Grandma and Grandpa because they don't have to be at day-care until later, remember?"

Daniel thought that over and then nodded. "Okay." He scooted out to the kitchen and climbed onto the chair. "Ready, Jack!"

Jack hid his sigh; it was going to be another long day.

Some time later, after Daniel had brushed his teeth and got dressed, he was allowed to go back to the bedroom to see if his grandparents were awake. The bedside light was on, enabling him to see where his grandma was. "Grandma! Are you awake?" he called as he entered the room and ran over to her side of the bed.

Iris smiled at her little grandson, so cute in his eagerness. "Yes, I'm awake, Daniel."

"What about Grandpa?" Daniel tried to peer over his grandma but couldn't see anything.

"He's waking up slowly," Iris replied, well used to her husband's tendency to sleep late. She would wake him when Daniel left and get him moving. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yep! And now you have to go eat breakfast so I can get my costume 'cos we can't be late," Daniel told her solemnly. He stood on tiptoes again to try and see his grandpa but then decided it would be easier if he went around the bed. When he got there, he peered at the old face. "He's still asleep!"

"Not any more," Tom grouched without opening his eyes, having been woken from a sound sleep.

Daniel jumped back in surprised, then he giggled. "Grandpa, you were pretending!" he exclaimed, delighted by this idea. He patted his grandfather's shoulder, then said, "I have to go get ready now so you have to get up." With that order, Daniel zoomed out of the room, wanting to be ready in good time.

"Tomorrow we're locking the door," Tom grumbled, not really too unhappy about being woken by Daniel.

Iris chuckled and got out of bed, ready to face the day. "Yes, dear," she agreed to placate her husband. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes."

Tom mumbled something Iris couldn't hear but she grinned, knowing what it was likely to be. Really, O'Neill men were such babies about getting up early.

When Daniel and Jack were ready to leave, the little boy was busy bringing all his books into the living room where his grandparents were seated. Jack looked on curiously for a moment and then asked, "Daniel, what are you doing?"

"Grandma and Grandpa need something to read while we're away," Daniel explained, placing the last book on the table. "'Cos it's going to be a long time 'fore they come to day-care and I don't want them to get bored, so they can read my books and then they won't be bored."

"Right." Jack decided to refrain from mentioning that Iris and Tom would finish those books quickly and still have plenty of time to be bored.

"It's a very kind thought, Daniel," Iris praised, giving him a hug. "I'm sure we won't be bored at all."

Daniel beamed, pleased to have been a help. "I'm ready now, Jack," he announced, bouncing over to his brother. He had his shoes on, and his backpack was packed, and his costume was ready as well.

"Good." Jack ruffled Daniel's hair in praise. He looked over at his grandparents. "You'll be right to get a cab in?" He had offered to come back and drive them in last night but they had vetoed that idea, not wanting to disrupt Jack at work.

"Of course we will," Tom stated. He braced himself as Daniel rushed over to give him a hug. "We'll see you in a few hours."

"Yay!" Daniel thought that today was going to be so much fun!

Nap-time was changed around at day-care to before lunchtime so that the children were wide awake for when their grandparents arrived. Daniel didn't have a nap but he did have some quiet time with Robert and Cassie, reading to them while they did some colouring. Therefore, when his grandparents arrived, he was energised again.

There was an influx of grandparents - some as young as fifty, some older like Iris and Tom - around noon, and the children rushed to greet the ones that belonged to them.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Daniel called as he rushed over to his visitors, a huge smile on his face. He was so proud that they had come to visit him and that they were going to watch him be a wise man. He led them over to where to the special tables and chairs had been set up for the lunch. About half of the children would have their grandparents there that day so it was going to be crowded for awhile. "This are my friends, Cassie and Robert," he introduced as soon as he got close enough.

Iris looked at the two children whom Daniel called friends and decided that he had made a good choice. Both Cassie and Robert looked intelligent and happy, a perfect match for Daniel. "Hello," she greeted them both, Tom echoing the word a moment later.

"Hello, Daniel's Grandma and Grandpa," Cassie replied before introducing the couple with her.

Robert looked downcast; his grandparents weren't coming because they lived in a different state. When Daniel saw Robert's sad face, he offered, "You can share my grandparents if you like."

"Mine too," Cassie said, not to be outdone.

The offers cheered Robert up considerably, and he beamed at the idea of gaining four new grandparents for the day.

Lunch was a noisy affair but no-one complained. Afterwards, the children were split up into their age groups and demonstrated a number of activities such as painting, play-dough sculpting, and singing. Daniel got to paint a picture of his grandparents, which he presented to them proudly, as well stringing coloured popcorn, a lot of which went into his mouth rather than on the string. That was okay though because Iris ate some too, although Tom didn't because they got under his dentures.

And soon it was time to prepare for the nativity play. The older children were taken off to get dressed in their costumes while the younger ones and the grandparents either played or sat around talking, depending on their age.

Jack arrived a few minutes before the play was about to start and sat next to Tom; Iris was talking to a woman on the other side. "You get here alright?" he asked, referring to the cab ride.

"Just fine," Tom replied.

"Good." He wasn't about to admit that he'd had a few moments of worry about his grandparents' ability to get to the day-care centre. "How's Daniel going?"

"I've never seen anyone with more energy," Tom stated.

Jack nodded; he sometimes thought that too. "We'll take him Christmas tree shopping tonight, wear him out before bed."

Tom chuckled, completely understanding Jack's motives for suggesting that.

The nativity play was… interesting. That was the best word that Jack could find to describe it. Getting a bunch of three- and four-year-olds to remember their lines and what they were supposed to be doing was a big ask. Daniel, he noticed, knew exactly what to say and to do; his little brother's attention was firmly on the task at hand. However most of the other kids didn't have that same kind of focus and so there were many pokes and prods, mainly by other children, to remind them of what they were supposed to be doing.

"Is this the baby Jesus?" Daniel asked in a clear voice as the wise men walked into the 'stable'.

"It is," 'Joseph' replied.

"Then I give you frankincense as a gift," Daniel announced, stepping up to Cassie, who was playing Mary. He bowed, put the bottle down in front of the cradle, and then stepped back so that Robert could come forward.

In the audience, three adults were filled with pride at Daniel's performance, and many of the mothers watching thought what a cute little boy he was.

Jack winced when the singing of 'Silent Night' started; few of the children could sing in tune. But he supposed this was what being a parent or guardian was about - attending school plays and concerts that one would otherwise steer clear of.

Finally, the play was over and the children were allowed to collect their parents and grandparents. Daniel rushed over and wrapped his arms around Jack's legs. "Did you see me? Did you see me being a wise man?"

"Yes, I did," Jack stated, ruffling Daniel's hair and dislodging the paper crown. "You were an excellent wise man."

"I 'membered all my lines and everyone else's too, and sometimes I had to tell the angel what to say but I did it quietly like Miss Alice told me to," Daniel informed his family, letting go of Jack so that he could talk to his grandparents.

"Well done," Iris praised, holding her arms out for a hug. Since she was still sitting, Daniel immediately climbed onto her lap to snuggle in close.

"Was I the best wise man ever?" Daniel asked, wanting more confirmation that he had done well.

"Absolutely," Iris confirmed. For a four-year-old, Daniel seemed to be able to concentrate better than his peers, which she was very proud of. "And Robert did a wonderful job too," she said, seeing Daniel's friend coming over to them.

"Yep!" Daniel agreed, sliding off his grandmother's lap to stand with Robert. "We were the best wise men ever!"

Jack was distracted from watching the two boys celebrate when he caught sight of Makepeace and his family. Jack had kept away from the Marine since the fight a couple of weeks ago, not wanting to renew hostilities, but he had forgotten that Makepeace would be here. He caught sight of Adam, the boy who had been bullying Daniel, and was glad that the sullen child wasn't related to him.

Daniel saw that Jack's attention had wandered and patted his knee. "Are we going to find a Christmas tree now, Jack?" He had been waiting for soooo long to get one!

"Sure thing, kiddo. Wanna get your stuff?"

"Okay!" Daniel ran away, taking Robert with him, chattering away about the upcoming shopping expedition.

Jack, Iris and Tom simply exchanged looks. This was going to be an adventure.


	49. Christmas Shopping

-1**Time got away from me! I wanted to get this done two weeks ago but to my surprise, I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly a month since the last chapter! I suppose if I had done it earlier though, I wouldn't have been able to put in the mispronounced countries, a conversation that was inspired by one of my students. Anyway, enjoy!! And thank you to all those who continue to support me and send feedback, and welcome to all the new readers - all of whom make writing this a pleasure :)**

**Part 49 - Christmas shopping**

It took some persuading to get Daniel out of his costume but eventually Iris convinced him that he didn't want to get the clothes dirty. Once dressed in his everyday clothes, Daniel was strapped into his car seat, Iris beside him, and the other two were in the front. He was still excited about everything and related many stories about day-care.

"Tani is going to Tuna-see-ah for Christmas 'cos her family has got family over there," Daniel stated. "I think her daddy's from Tuna-see-ah but her mommy's from here."

All the adults tried to figure out the place Daniel was talking about. "You mean, Tunisia?" Tom asked.

"No, Tani said Tuna-see-ah." Daniel kicked his legs out, one at a time, and Iris very quickly put a stop to in case he hit the seats in front. "Where's Tuna-see-ah?"

"Somewhere in Africa," Jack replied. He actually knew precisely where as an early Special Ops mission had been in a country nearby.

"Oh, no, wait! Tani's mommy is from Zim-bubble-way," Daniel corrected his earlier statement, unaware of the mirth he was causing the adults with his mispronunciations of the two countries. "She said that her mommy left Zim-bubble-way so that she could go to college and be really smart, and her daddy was already here because his mommy and daddy had come here when he was little, and they met at college and got married, and sometimes they go back to their other homes but they don't stay there 'cos it's nicer here."

Iris and Tom shared amused looks while Jack bit his tongue so as not to laugh. 'Zim-bubble-way?' Was that Daniel's pronunciation or had he picked it up from Tani?

"That's kind of like Mommy and Daddy," Daniel continued while he was in a sharing mood. "Grandpa Nick came from the Never-Ever Lands, and he came here before Mommy was born, and way after she was born, Mommy married Daddy and they went to Egypt and I was born there and then we all came back here but I haven't been to see the Never-Ever Lands yet."

This time, Jack couldn't hold back his chuckle of laughter. 'Never-Ever Lands'? Wasn't that where Peter Pan lived? Oh wait, that was 'Never-Never Land'. However, Daniel's mispronunciation of the word 'Netherlands' came awfully close to what Jack thought about Nick as a grandparent - he had never, ever been there when he was needed.

Daniel frowned in confusion and looked at his big brother. "What are you laughing at, Jack?" His brother better not be laughing at him. He thought back over what he had said. "Oops!" he exclaimed in realisation, "I said Netherlands wrong! I said Never-Ever Lands!" Daniel thought that was a great joke and started giggling.

"Yes, you did," Jack agreed, glancing in the rear-view mirror to see the pout had turned into a grin. "So what else did you do today besides be the best wise man ever?"

"Lots! Cassie told me about 'Peter Pan' today 'cos her mommy's reading it, that's why I said the wrong thing." Then Daniel was side-tracked into giving the adults a recitation of the rest of the morning's events and that lasted until they reached the mall. Then he changed the subject and asked his grandparents whether they had read the books he had left out for them.

"We were able to read some of them," Iris replied truthfully; they had skimmed through some of the shorter books just in case Daniel wanted to talk about them.

Pleased by that, Daniel launched into a monologue about his books as he was led into the mall, one small hand in his grandma's and the other in Jack's large hand. There were many, many people around though, and he didn't like it because they were way too noisy and it wasn't like Christmas shopping in Egypt, and his body felt a little sleepy. He tugged on Jack's hand and said, "Up, please?"

"Up? Oh." Jack hoisted Daniel up and settled him onto one hip. "You a bit sleepy, kiddo?"

"Uh-uh," Daniel shook his head as he stifled a yawn into Jack's shoulder. He wasn't tired because he still had lots to do like find a Christmas tree and decorations, and then put the decorations on the tree.

"Right." Jack shared an amused look with his grandparents. Based on experience, he knew that Daniel needed some quiet time or maybe even a short nap, so he would be carrying his brother around the mall for however long it took to buy the stuff they needed.

"Ooh!" Daniel lifted his head up in surprise. "Santa's still here!" He pointed to where Santa sat on his throne, the line to see him still as long as it had been they had visited earlier in the week. "Why hasn't he gone back to the North Pole, Jack?"

Jack looked sideways to see if either Iris or Tom could help him out on that but his grandparents just smiled at him as if to say 'it's your responsibility now'. Vowing to somehow get revenge at some point, Jack replied, "He's probably just visiting. There are a lot of kids around here, too many to see in one day, so he has to come back a few times."

Daniel nodded in understanding. He twisted his body so that he could see his grandma and asked, "Did I show you the picture of me and Santa?"

"Yes, you showed us last night." Daniel had been so enthusiastic about the visit.

"He's a very nice person," Daniel continued, watching Santa as they walked past. He waved to Santa and was thrilled when he received a wave in return. "He remembered me!"

Iris smiled; Daniel was so adorable. Here was a little boy who had barely known anything about Christmas a few weeks ago and now he was excited whenever he saw Santa. She had heard some complain about commercialism and how the concept of Santa just exploited people's greed but those doing the complaining obviously didn't have children like Daniel. Or probably children at all, Iris decided, because they didn't know anything about the joy children got just from seeing Santa.

They entered the store and headed straight for the Christmas tree section. There was quite a variety of artificial trees to chose from - including bright pink, which Jack immediately dismissed as a possibility. He jiggled his shoulder, alerting Daniel to the fact that he needed to pay attention again. "See anything you like, kiddo?"

"Umm…" Daniel gazed at the selection of trees on display. "Why aren't they all green? Trees are s'posed to be green."

"Because some people want to be different," Tom grouched as he looked at what he considered to be gaudy trees. "Give me a traditional tree any day. Why aren't we buying a live one?"

"Because we're not," Jack stated firmly, not wanting to go into details. His grandparents didn't need to know that he didn't feel like going all out for Christmas this year, not with the death of his mother so recent. The last Christmas he remembered spending with Claire, before she had remarried, they had bought a live tree - rather scraggly - and decorated it amidst much laughter. Ever since then, he had only bought very small trees, thinking the large ones unnecessary if he was by himself. He could start a new tradition with Daniel this year. Plus, an artificial tree would be lighter to move around, and it wouldn't drop needles all over the place. "Danny?"

"That one." Daniel pointed to a green tree that was about six feet tall. It was standing slightly apart from the others and some of its branches drooped, presumably from the weight of all the decorations. "It looks lonely."

Jack didn't understand the reason behind the comment until he really looked at the tree. Even though it was brightly decorated, it did look kind of sad and lonely amongst all the other multi-coloured trees. Mentally shaking his head, Jack said, "Then that one it is." _Maybe it'll look happier when it's in the lounge room…_ Great, now he was sounding like Daniel.

Iris sized the tree up and commented, "Are you sure?" She didn't want Jack to pick a tree he wasn't happy with.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Jack went back and got a shopping cart - he couldn't carry the tree and Daniel at the same time, nor could he ask Tom or Iris to take either one. The large box with the tree went in it and so did Daniel, who was suddenly re-energised at the prospect of getting a ride.

Next stop, not far away, were the decorations. There were hundreds to chose from, or so it seemed. Jack lifted Daniel out of the cart so that he could get a closer look.

"How many can we choose, Jack?" Daniel wanted to know. He liked the look of all the tinsel and the brightly-coloured balls and the stars…

"Uh…" Jack wasn't quite sure how much he really needed. He did have some stuff at home but not enough to cover the large tree.

"Let's see what we like," Iris suggested, her eye already on the candy canes.

"Okay. Jack, I like all those," Daniel said, pointing to the tinsel.

Jack checked the length of the tinsel, then suggested, "Pick four different ones." At a metre in length each, and quite thick, he reckoned they would adequately cover the tree.

Daniel carefully scrutinised each one, eventually deciding on blue, green, red and gold. Jack put them in the cart and then moved to check out the balls. Behind him, Iris picked up some purple and silver tinsel, figuring that too much was better than too little, especially for this Christmas.

It went that way the whole time. Jack and Daniel would select several items from each section and their grandparents would come along behind, selecting more items. Jack was too busy with Daniel to realise what was going on until they reached the end of the decorations and he turned around to see where his grandparents were. When he saw the armfuls of items they were carrying, he complained, "You don't have to buy us anything, you know."

"Who says these are all for you?" Tom rebutted. "We have a Christmas tree too."

Jack simply raised an eyebrow and looked over at Iris, who was avoiding his eyes. "Grandma?"

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Jack," Iris gently reprimanded. She then smiled at Daniel, who had come to see what she was holding.

"What's a spoilsport?" Daniel questioned as he tried to see everything that his grandma had.

"Someone who spoils things for other people," Iris explained. "Like Jack saying that we can't buy some Christmas decorations for the two of you."

"Oh." Daniel looked up at Jack. "Why can't Grandma and Grandpa buy things for us?" He thought that was very nice of them and not so nice of Jack.

"Never mind." Jack knew when he was outvoted, and he supposed that it was nice of his grandparents to want to contribute something for the tree. However, it look liked they were buying the whole department! "Buy whatever you like," he told Iris.

"Why, thank you, Jack," Iris said with a impish grin that belied her age.

"I can help!" Daniel stated, wanting to hold some of the decorations. He held his hands up in anticipation.

Iris gave Daniel a few things to hold, making the little boy very happy. Then the four of them made their way to the check-out to pay for everything.

Jack quietly groaned when he was given the total amount but reminded himself that it was worth it, especially if it meant that he didn't have to do this again for at least a few years.

Daniel eagerly helped the adults carry the bags out to the car and then urged Jack to hurry home so that they could put the tree up and decorate it. He wasn't in the least bit tired now!


	50. O Christmas Tree

-1Well, I just got it in before I go away for a couple of weeks. If you send feedback and I don't reply straight away, don't worry - I'll get to it when I return home! Thank you to all who consistently send me feedback as it encourages me to keep writing even though this story is heading into its third year. (It's taken three years to write one month in the story!!). To any new readers, I write about one chapter per month so don't expect this story to get finished soon :)

**Part 50 - O Christmas Tree**

"Come on!" Daniel urged as Jack carried the Christmas tree box into the living room. His grandparents followed close behind with the bags of decorations, and Daniel himself carried one as well. "We have to put it up before dinner!"

Iris looked at her watch and disagreed. There wouldn't be enough time as they had spent a long time in the shops. However, she had a distraction planned. "Daniel, how about we let Jack and Grandpa Tom put the tree up while we cook dinner?"

Daniel stopped bouncing and thought about that for a few seconds. "What will we cook? I'm not s'posed to touch sharp things."

"That's okay. I thought we could make a pizza with a potato base," Iris stated, having already scouted Jack's fridge to see if he had the right ingredients. "I'll do the cutting if you can do the mashing and arranging."

Daniel puffed out his chest, pleased with getting the responsibility. Jack didn't let him help with cooking except if it was something like cookies or cakes. "I'm a good helper," he told his grandma.

"I know you are," Iris agreed. "So, how about we leave these two to it and get started?"

Looking between the box and Grandma Iris, Daniel eventually decided he would help with the pizza because then maybe he could eat bits while he was helping.

It didn't take long to get the potatoes ready for mashing, and soon Daniel was completely involved in that task. His tongue poked out between his lips as he concentrated on mashing the way Grandma Iris told him to. When he was done, he pushed the bowl away, hopped down off the chair and ran into the living room to see how much tree had been put together.

Daniel paused just after the step and stared. There was a funny looking trunk and a few branches sticking out the bottom but it didn't look like the tree in the store. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack glanced over at his little brother.

"Why doesn't it look like a tree?"

"Because we haven't finished putting it together yet," Jack replied. He had been doing the hard work while Tom had been simply handing him the branches. Which, he supposed, was only fair. "So how about you go back and keep helping Grandma, and I'll call you when we're finished?"

Daniel wasn't sure he liked that idea because then he didn't get to see the tree being made, but he did like helping Grandma Iris. He hesitated for a few seconds and then quickly made up his mind when Jack headed towards him with tickling fingers. "Grandma! Grandma, help!" Daniel shouted as he ran into the kitchen and hid behind her.

"Help with what?" she asked, puzzled by the request until Jack appeared in the doorway.

"He's going to tickle me!" Daniel peeked out from behind his grandma and saw Jack standing nearby. He yelped and hid again, thereby missing the wink Jack gave Iris.

Iris grinned at Jack, liking how relaxed her grandson seemed to be, then made her face more serious to play along with the game. "Well, we can't have that, can we? Jack, you'll just have to go back into the other room."

"Or you'll what?" Jack challenged playfully, towering over his grandmother.

"Or I'll tickle you," Iris threatened, reaching out with her free hand.

"No! Anything but that!" Jack pretended to be frightened. "Daniel, help me, she's going to tickle me!"

Daniel was too busy giggling to be of any real help. "Tickle him, Grandma!" he urged.

"No! I'm going, I'm going!" Jack retreated, unable to stop the grin from forming on his face. "I'll be good!"

When Jack had gone, Daniel moved from behind his grandma back onto the chair he had previously occupied. He was very impressed that Jack was afraid of Grandma Iris's tickles. "Did you scare Jack with tickles when he was little too?" he asked.

"Sometimes," Iris played along, not admitting that it had been Tom who had done the tickling in those days.

Daniel thought about that for a moment, then queried in a nervous voice, "Are you going to tickle me too?"

"Only if you need tickling," Iris replied, keeping her face neutral. "Now, we need to spread the potato over the tray to make the base."

For the next ten minutes, Daniel was kept busy helping to put the pizza together. When Iris put it in the oven to cook, the little boy snuck back into the living room to see how the tree was going.

"Wow," he breathed when he saw it. All the branches were attached to it now, and it stood as tall as Jack. He rushed over to it so that he could examine it more closely. It didn't look so much like a real tree when he was up close but he was still awed by it. "Can we put the stuff on it now, Jack? Pleeeeease?"

Jack looked over at Iris, who had just stepped into the living room. She nodded at him, so he took that to mean that dinner would be awhile yet. Shifting his gaze back to Daniel, Jack stated, "Sure. Can you find the bag with all the balls in it?"

"Uh-huh!" Daniel hurried over to where the bags of decorations were and peeked in each one until he found the balls. "Here it is!" He went back over to Jack and handed the bag to him.

"Okay. Daniel, you decorate the bottom of the tree," Jack ordered. "Grandma, you take the middle and I'll do the top." He was the only one who could reach.

"What about Grandpa?" Daniel asked in puzzlement.

"I'll hold the bag," Tom stated. Christmas tree decorating wasn't his thing, although he happily helped Iris put up other decorations at home. Besides, there wasn't enough room for him as well.

"And film," Jack said, showing the video camera he had brought into the room earlier.

"And film," Tom echoed as he accepted the camera. He let Jack arrange the camera and switch it on, then Tom held the bag out for Daniel. "Which one do you want to put up first?"

"Ummm…" Daniel inspected the balls and then picked a blue one. "This one. Where do I put it?"

"Anywhere you like," Tom told him.

As Daniel turned towards the tree to decide where to put his ball, Iris and Jack got several balls as well and started hanging them on the higher branches. Daniel got distracted and watched them for a minute before going back to his task. Carefully, he surveyed the tree and decided that the ball would look very good at the front. He hung it on the correct branch and then stood back to survey his handiwork. Yep, that was the right spot. Pleased with himself, Daniel got another ball from his grandpa and started the process again.

It took Daniel twice as long to do his part of the tree but the adults didn't rush him. Instead, they just stood back and watched him with amusement. None of them could remember decorating their first tree and that is why Jack wanted to record this for Daniel, so that in later years, he could look back on it and be embarrassed by it. Or enjoy it, depending on his age.

"Now what?" Daniel asked when all the balls were gone.

"Now, dinner will be ready," Iris said, just having gone to check on the pizza.

"Daniel, go and wash your hands."

"Okay." Daniel sped off to the bathroom and was back by the time the adults got themselves settled around the kitchen table. He climbed up onto his chair and swung his legs eagerly as his grandma served the pizza. "Mmm," he said, looking at all the yummy things in front of him. "This looks good, Grandma."

"Thank you." Iris figured this would be a good way of getting Daniel to eat some different vegetables than Jack might be feeding him.

When dinner was finished - with everyone enjoying the different type of pizza - Daniel hurried back into the living room, eager to get the tree finished before he had to go to bed. "Jack, come on, we have to hurry!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jack said as he followed Daniel. Iris had said she would do the dishes and Tom would dry so that Jack could help his brother with the tree for awhile. He fetched the other bags, although not the ones with tinsel, and brought them over next to the tree. Time to get stuck into it again.

Jack set the video camera to record and placed it on the table at a height where it would catch all the action. Then he and Daniel started placing more decorations on the tree. Daniel marvelled over the small musical instruments, the stars, and the miniature Santas. But the item he liked the most were the angels. They were in different poses such as praying or flying or playing the harp, and they fascinated him.

"Look at this one, Jack!" Daniel help up a pink one that was flying. "This looks like Mommy."

Jack took the angel and examined it. The brown hair was the same colour as Claire's but he wasn't sure that the rest really looked like her. However, the answer seemed to be very important to Daniel, so Jack said, "Yes, it does. Where do you want to put Mom?"

"Right here," Daniel stated, pointing to the front of the tree just above his head. "That way she can see everything."

Doing as he was told, Jack put the angel where Daniel had pointed. Then the little boy searched through the other angels for one that looked like a boy. However, there weren't any. "Jack, the Daddy angel isn't here."

"Let me see." Jack examined the other angels but couldn't find a boy one either. "Nope, he isn't here."

"We must have left him in the shop, Jack." Daniel was really worried about that. "He'll get lonely without the Mommy angel. We have to go back and get him."

"We can't, Danny, the store will be closed," Jack stated, crouching down in front of his brother. "But tomorrow, I'll go back in and get him, okay?" He had to take Daniel into Cassie's birthday party anyway, so with any luck the store would be open at that time. Or maybe he could leave Daniel with his grandparents and go shopping by himself for an hour… yes, that might work better.

Daniel pouted, sad that the Daddy angel was going to be lonely but at least it wasn't going to be for too long. He sighed and leaned against his older brother. "I miss Mommy and Daddy," he confided in a small voice. Although he could talk to them, he couldn't see them or hug them, and he really wanted them to be here to celebrate Christmas with him and Jack.

When Daniel sniffed - a precursor to tears - Jack picked him up and hugged him. "I do too," he said softly. He leaned down a little, Daniel in his arms, to turn the video camera off; decorating the tree would have to wait a few minutes.

Daniel gave in to his feelings of sadness, crying quietly against Jack's shoulder. Iris and Tom, who had finished the dishes, waited in the kitchen until they heard voices again, giving the brothers the privacy they needed.

Jack also shed a few silent tears as he thought of the small archaeological tools that were hidden away for Daniel's Christmas present. Their mother had bought them with such love and would never see Daniel's reaction to it or his use of the tools. It just wasn't fair, and as much as he actually liked having Daniel here, he wished that Claire and Melburn hadn't died and left the kid alone. Or him to cope with all this.

Daniel sniffed one more time and then rubbed his eyes. "They'll be watching us, won't they?" he asked Jack for confirmation. He needed to know that his parents weren't going to miss out on Christmas.

"I'm sure they will," Jack agreed, rubbing his hand soothingly over Daniel's back while shifting his brother to a more comfortable position. "So we'll have to show them that even though we miss them, we can still enjoy Christmas."

Daniel nodded; he could do that. He didn't like being sad and he remembered that Jack had said that his parents would want him to be happy. "Okay." He sniffed again, then blew his nose into the tissue that Jack held out to him.

The decorating continued, although a little more subdued than before, under everything was done. Well, everything but the star on top of the tree. Jack handed Daniel the star and then lifted the little boy up so that he could reach the top. Then Jack switched on the lights and they all stood back to admire the tree.

"It's beautiful," Daniel commented, awed by all the shiny decorations on the tree. It was so colourful and pretty.

"Yes, it is," Iris agreed, reaching out to give her youngest grandson a hug. "You've done a wonderful job, you and Jack."

"And you, Grandma," Daniel reminded her.

"And me," Iris chuckled, pleased that he remembered that.

After a few more minutes, Iris took Daniel off for a bath and not too much later, the little boy was in bed. Jack came in and read him a story, then let Iris tell one as Daniel drifted off to sleep. Then while Iris went back to the living room to be with Tom, Jack went into the study and called Sara, which cheered him up greatly.


	51. Daddy' Angels & Cassie's party

-1Sorry about the long wait. I didn't get much written while I was away, and then when I got back, I had major writer's block! I don't know why it always works that way with holidays but anyway… Thank you for all waiting so patiently.

So, here is the next chapter. I'll try to get up to Christmas Day by this year's Christmas Day, which means at least one day in the story per month. This will give me a nice challenge grin.

**Chapter 51 - 'Daddy' Angels and Cassie's party**

**Saturday, 20th December**

Daniel was wide awake early the next morning. When he saw that Jack wasn't awake, he put his slippers and robe on, and took his stuffed toys into the living room to see the Christmas tree. They listened attentively as he explained all about the tree and the decorations, which he thought was good of them.

Then he went over to the 'mommy angel'. "Hi, Mommy," he said in the belief that the object would send his words to the person they were intended for. "I'm having lots of fun here with Jack and Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom but I miss you and Daddy lots too. We're having Christmas now, well, not now but in four more sleeps time Jack says, and Christmas is fun. I've seen Santa Claus and he was really nice, and I had my photo took with him, and I've made a star for the tree - see?" He pointed to the glitter-covered star near the angel.

"I hope you and Daddy will come for Christmas," Daniel continued. "Even if we can't see you 'cos I know we're not 'llowed to see you yet 'cos Oma said so. Ooh, and Jack said that he would find the Daddy angel today so you won't be sep-rated for long." He paused to think whether there was anything else he needed to say. "Ooh! I hope you was watching yesterday when I was a wise man in the nativ-ty play. I did real good, everyone said so, and I 'membered my lines and everything!"

Daniel paused again. "I think that's all for now, Mommy. I'd better go see if Jack's waked yet 'cos my tummy's getting hungry. Bye!" After waving at the angel, he headed back into his room to see if Jack was awake. He wasn't, so Daniel got something to read instead, deciding that his tummy could cope with being hungry for a little while longer. But if Jack wasn't awake when he finished his book, then Daniel would wake him up.

Jack woke soon after and realised that Daniel was already up. He checked the time, and although he decided it was too early to get up on a weekend, someone needed to keep an eye on the kid. With a sigh, Jack got up, put his robe on and then headed out to the living room where he figured his little brother would be.

He found Daniel reading to his toys. "Morning, kiddo."

Daniel looked up and smiled. "Hi, Jack! Are we having breakfast yet?"

"In a few minutes. Let me get dressed first," Jack replied. He went back into the bedroom, got changed, and then he found his little brother already sitting up waiting in the kitchen.

Breakfast was eaten in short order and then it was Daniel's turn to get dressed. Only after that was he allowed to go see if his grandparents were awake.

By eight-thirty, everyone was up, dressed, fed and were currently admiring the Christmas tree. Jack suggested to Daniel that he get his Legos out and show Iris and Tom what kind of things he could build, which the little boy enthusiastically agreed to.

Just before nine o'clock, Jack left to pick-up Sara as they were going shopping together. When Jack had called her the night before, he had expressed his bafflement at buying a gift for Daniel to give to Cassie. Sara had then asked if he wanted her help and Jack had figuratively jumped at the idea. They would also keep an eye out for 'Daddy' angels so that Daniel would be happy.

Daniel wasn't initially happy that he was getting left behind but when Jack charged him with the important task of looking after their grandparents, he puffed out his chest with pride and promised to do a 'super-dooper' job. After Jack left, he went back to building his big pyramid and explaining all about Ancient Egypt to his grandparents.

Some time later, over at Sara's place, Jack entered to find his girlfriend - could he call her that after only a few dates? - busy at the dining room table. In front of her were various Christmas tree angels, textas, scissors, small wire glasses and glue. "What are you doing?" he inquired.

"Seeing if I can create a Daddy angel," Sara replied. After talking to Jack last night, she'd had the idea to modify one of her own ornaments before they resorted to looking for one.

"Any luck?" Jack was impressed that she would go to so much trouble for a child she had only met once. Of course, if her aim had simply been to impress him, she had succeeded.

"Not really." She had tried cutting the long hair of one but it didn't really look good. Even when she had put the wire glasses on, it still hadn't seemed right. And the modifications she had done on the others had been even worse. "I think we'd better hope there's one somewhere to buy."

Jack stepped over to Sara's side and surveyed her handiwork. Most seemed strange but he liked the one with glasses. It was less strange than the others but Jack figured that to Daniel, it would probably be suitable. "I like this," he commented.

"Really?" Sara thought he was just saying that to be nice. She looked at the angel again but couldn't see why Jack would like it.

"Yeah." It wasn't a match with the one on the tree at home but Jack thought it could pass for a 'Daddy' angel. They could still look for another one though. "Daniel will love it." He hoped.

Sara wasn't quite ready to believe him but was flattered nonetheless. Leaving Jack with the angel, Sara went to get her handbag and put the final touches on her make-up. She was quite looking forward to this shopping trip with Jack as it would give her a chance to see him in a different situation.

First, they went to the toy shop where Sara worked as she knew all the products. She took Jack down the doll aisle and watched with amusement as his expression became bewildered. Oh, the number of times she had seen that look on the faces of fathers wanting to buy something for their daughters.

"How is anyone meant to choose?" Jack asked, trying to take everything in. It certainly made him glad that Daniel wasn't a girl, otherwise choosing toys for him would have been even harder.

Sara grinned. "Do you have any idea of what Daniel's friend likes?"

"Not a clue," Jack admitted freely.

"Okay, well, these are always good," Sara said, pointing to the "My Little Pony" display. "Most girls loves horses, and there's a wide range so there is little chance of getting one that she's already got at home."

"That will do then," Jack announced, deciding quickly that he didn't want to have a wide range to choose from, otherwise they would still be here at closing time.

"Don't you want to look at anything else?" Sara queried.

"No, I'm good." Jack surveyed the ponies in front of him. How many different ones were there? Maybe he should just close his eyes and pick at random.

Sara took the choice out of his hands when she saw the indecision in his eyes. She chose a white one with bright green hair and said, "This one."

Jack took the package, trusting her choice. He would still much rather be choosing from toy cars and the like. "Thanks. Uh, will we find any angels here?"

"No," Sara said, shaking her head. "But I know where we might find some."

An hour later, they had searched six shops but hadn't found anything except some party clothes for Daniel. It was looking more and more like Jack would have to give Daniel the angel that Sara made. Still, the morning wasn't a loss because Jack had enjoyed spending time with Sara. They had chatted for most of the time, and Jack had learnt more about Sara's childhood and hobbies, plus other things. So it was with some reluctance that he headed back to his home after dropping her off at hers.

As soon as he opened the front door, Daniel rushed over to Jack and hugged his legs. "Did you get the Daddy angel? Did you, Jack?"

"Yes, I did," Jack replied.

"Yay!" Daniel was very happy about that. Jack held the angel out to him and Daniel took it, inspecting it very carefully. It's face looked a bit like a girl's but Daniel thought that was just because he was an angel. Nodding in approval, he grinned up at Jack. "Thank you!"

"Actually, you'll have to thank Sara," Jack replied. "She's the one who found it." He was quite sure that if he told Daniel that Sara had made it, that the little boy would wonder why the angel had been at her house in the first place.

"Yeah sure, you betcha!" Daniel sing-songed as he zoomed into the living room to put the angel on the tree next to the 'mommy angel'. "There you go, Daddy, all better."

Jack kept his eyes on his little brother so that he didn't have to see the sympathetic expressions on his grandparents' faces. "So, did you have a good morning with Grandma and Grandpa?"

"The bestest!" Daniel enthused, skipping back over to Jack and lifting his arms. When Jack obediently lifted him up, Daniel continued, "I builded a big pyramid for them, see? And Grandpa Tom and me tried to build a Sphinx too but it didn't work so good." He pointed to the pile of Lego on the table.

Jack easily made out the pyramid - Daniel must have used half the blocks for it! - but the Sphinx was a lot harder to make sense of. "Good work, kiddo."

"I think we need lots more Lego, Jack, so then the Sphinx will be bigger and then it'll be easier to make the face and stuff," Daniel stated, hoping to plant the idea in Jack's mind for Christmas.

"We'll see," was all Jack would say to that.

"And I readed to Grandma Iris and she said I was the bestest four-and-a-half-year-old reader ever," Daniel shared, a big grin on his face. He knew he wasn't better than adults at reading so the age qualification didn't trouble him. "When am I going to the party, Jack?"

Taken off-guard by the subject change, Jack took a couple of seconds to reply. "Uh, not until two o'clock."

Daniel found Jack's watch, lifted the arm so that he could see the numbers better and then nodded. Lots and lots of time to go before then. "Can we play chasey?" He wanted to do some running about because he had been inside all morning.

"Why not? Go put on your coat and boots," Jack instructed as he put Daniel down. When the little boy was out of earshot, he asked his grandparents, "How did he go this morning?"

"He wasn't too happy for a few minutes after you left," Iris replied, "but once he got building, he was fine." She and Tom had thoroughly enjoyed looking after Daniel. Listening to the childish yet intelligent chatter had been amusing, and actually reminded Iris of when she had looked after a young Jack many years ago.

"Good." That meant that Daniel was getting used to him going out without him. That was a good thing. Right?

After the energetic game of chasey, it was lunchtime, which Iris had made while the 'boys' were outside. Then it came time to get ready for the party. Jack showed Daniel the present - which received a slightly enthusiastic 'oooh' and a query as to why Cassie didn't like trains - and then he got Iris to neatly wrap it. Finally, Daniel was able to get dressed in his new party clothes: new blue jeans, a light-blue long-sleeved top, and a 'Thomas the Tank Engine' sweater. Daniel loved the latter item as it was a train, and immediately asked Jack all about Thomas and did he think that Santa might bring him some little trains for Christmas?

Jack avoided the last question as he didn't know everything he was getting for Daniel yet. He bundled his brother up in the coat again and took him to Cassie's party. He wasn't sure what the etiquette was about staying but had already decided that since the party was only a couple of hours long, he should stay even though he would likely be the only male adult there. Since he and Daniel had been apart most of the morning, Jack figured he should make sure he was there if Daniel needed him.

There were several children already running around when they arrived at Cassie's home. Janet was out the front supervising, as were two other women. Surprisingly, Jack didn't even consciously contemplate flirting with them; although he didn't realise it, he considered himself in a relationship.

Daniel rushed off as soon as they were in the front gate, rushing over to Cassie and joining in the game. So it was left Jack to deliver the present to Janet, who smiled and then introduced him to the women nearby.

The next two hours actually passed quickly for Jack. As well as enjoying the conversation with all the mothers who had accompanied their children, he loved watching Daniel interact with the others. The kids played several games: Musical Chairs - a game that took Daniel a little while to get the hang of; Pin the Tail on the Donkey, which was hilarious; and then they each had a turn at trying to break the piñata.

Musical Chairs had been lots of fun. Janet had made sure to explain the rules to Daniel beforehand but even so, it took a few practise turns for him to work it out. He almost gave up but Cassie grabbed his hand and helped him a couple of times. After that, he played enthusiastically, getting quite far in the game. He had been so pleased with himself that he had run over to Jack to make sure his brother had seen how well he had played. Jack, of course, had praised him and then encouraged him to go back with the other kids.

And finally it was time for the presents. Jack was relieved to see that the My Little Pony was well received by Cassie, and that some of the mothers praised him for choosing it; he didn't enlighten them as to who actually picked it out.

Janet gathered all the children around the long table so that Cassie could blow out the candles on her birthday cake. There was an enthusiastic singing of 'Happy Birthday' - that Jack internally cringed at because it was so out of tune - and then it was time for the food!

Daniel didn't start eating straight away like the other children because he wasn't sure what all the food was. He had been enjoying himself very much with the games but now he was a little nervous. He glanced over his shoulder at Jack, who was talking with the lady next to him, which meant that he wouldn't be able to help Daniel. Worried, he turned back to look at the other kids. Robert was sitting next to him, eating enthusiastically.

"What's that?" Daniel asked his friend.

"They're crisps," Robert replied, his mouth full of said food. "Haven't you had any before?"

Daniel shook his head; he had sure missed out on lots of things in Egypt.

"Try one. You'll like it," Robert urged.

Slowly, Daniel reached out and took a thin yellow shape from a large bowl. Then he tentatively tasted it and found it tasted like spicy chicken, which he had always liked. This encouraged him to try more, and then to try other foods on the table. There were a couple of things he didn't like but there were many more that he did.

All too soon for Daniel, the party started breaking up. He and a few others, including Cassie, played chasey while some of the adults kept talking. Eventually though, Jack rounded him up and took him home. Daniel had to then relate everything to his grandparents, so excited was he about his first American birthday party. And Jack just sat by, listening indulgently. They had both had a very good day.


	52. A Busy Sunday

-1I apologise for the longer than usual wait. I've had a busy month with work activities, not to mention the fact I became an aunt last month!! I will also admit to a lot of writer's block with this chapter - I didn't have a clue what to write! As a result, it's a bit shorter than the usual chapters but I know what to do for the next chapter, so it should be quicker in coming :) Thank you all for your patience.

**--**

**Part 52 - A Busy Sunday**

**Sunday, 21st December**

Sunday dawned cold and snowing. Although Daniel was eager to get out and play in the snow, Jack wasn't as he had a plan for the morning: Christmas shopping. He and Iris had chatted after Daniel had gone to bed on Saturday, and had decided to take advantage of the shops that were open on a Sunday to buy Daniel some Christmas presents.

Jack kept Daniel busy until nearly ten o'clock, doing some drawing and other activites. Then, when it came time to leave, Jack pulled his little brother onto his lap. "Danny…"

"What?" Daniel saw his grandma come into the living room all dressed up. "Grandma, where are you going?"

Iris exchanged a look with Jack, who explained, "Grandma and I are going shopping."

"Oh! Can I come?" Daniel asked enthusiastically.

"Not this time," Jack replied. "I need you to look after Grandpa. Can you do that for me?"

Daniel was reluctant even though he was pleased that Jack was giving him such a responsibility. "Do you have to go?" he queried in a small voice as he leaned against his brother. He didn't want Jack to leave him like he had yesterday morning. He had liked being with his grandparents but he had still missed Jack.

"I wouldn't be going if it wasn't important," Jack stated, rubbing Daniel's back. "We'll be back by lunchtime, I promise."

Iris came over to sit next to her grandsons. "Grandpa is looking forward to having some time with you," she said to Daniel. "He even brought a jigsaw with him in the hopes you and he would be able to do it together."

The idea of another jigsaw was tempting… Daniel sighed and swung his legs against Jack's. "And then you'll play with me?" he asked.

"We promise," Jack said as he kissed the top of Daniel's head. "We might even be able to make a snowman this afternoon if it keeps on snowing."

That sounded interesting but Daniel still wasn't happy. He gave in though and agreed to stay home with Grandpa.

Several minutes later, he and Tom were firmly situated on the couch, sorting out the jigsaw pieces. Within another few minutes, Daniel had forgotten that Jack wasn't there and was thoroughly enjoying himself.

During the trip into the shopping centre, Iris had filled Jack in on the presents she and Tom had got for Daniel that could be given by 'Santa'. This included some books and toys but not the clothes - they would be from Tom and her. So it was then decided that they needed to look for some more books and toys, as well as drawing supplies, for the young boy.

Looking around the bookstore in the children's section, Jack's eye was caught by a book about astronomy. He took it off the shelf and flicked through it. It had many facts about stars in it, plus some mythology to match the shapes that could be seen in the sky. Jack figured that Daniel would love the mythology stuff and he could learn about astronomy at the same time. Smiling to himself, Jack tucked it under his arm and continued on.

Just under two hours later, Jack and Iris had quite a selection of items for 'Santa' to give Daniel. Jack had debated the wisdom of giving Daniel too many presents but Iris had talked him around using the argument that Santa was simply making up for the years when Daniel hadn't got anything. Jack knew better than to argue with his grandmother so he bought what she told him to buy.

They left the presents in the car when they went home, planning to retrieve them after Daniel had gone to bed. The little boy greeted them at the door, jumping into Jack's arms. "Did you buy lots of things? Where are they? Did you leave them at the shop? Did you get anything for me? Is it lunchtime now?" he questioned, seemingly in one breath.

"Yes, it's lunchtime now," Jack answered, avoiding all the others questions. "Are you hungry?"

"Yep! Grandpa and I have been real busy," Daniel elaborated. "We did some jigsaw and then we readed some books and then I drawed Grandpa a picture and he told me stories and I showed him how to write in Egyptian but we didn't play in the snow 'cos Grandpa said it was too cold and then you came home!"

Jack grinned as he replied, "Wow, it sounds like you _have_ been busy." Certainly too busy for Daniel to have time to worry about when he was getting home. "Want to show me the jigsaw?"

"Yeah, sure, you betcha!" Daniel wriggled out of Jack's arms and led his big brother into the living room. "Look, Jack!"

It looked as if nearly half the 200-piece jigsaw had been finished and Jack wondered just how much Daniel had done of it. "Well done, kiddo."

Daniel's chest puffed out proudly. "I didn't do it all," he informed Jack, being honest as usual. "Grandpa did lots 'cos the pieces are smaller."

Jack glanced over at Tom, who was sitting in a chair nearby. "That's because Grandpa's pretty smart too," he said, winking at Tom. Then he turned his attention back to Daniel. "You'd better go wash your hands and then see if Grandma needs help with lunch."

"Okay." Daniel raced out of the room.

"He was fine," Tom anticipated the question from his eldest grandson. "There was a couple of times he looked at the clock but other than that, we've had a great time." He had enjoyed spending quality time with Daniel, and it had made him feel young again… well, younger, anyway.

"Good." That meant - hopefully - that Daniel was getting more used to being apart from him.

After lunch was a rousing game of 'Snakes and Ladders', then a nap for all but Jack, and finally it was time to go outside and build a snowman.

"Why is it called a snowman?" Daniel wanted to know as his grandma made sure he was protected against the cold.

"Because it is a man made out of snow," Iris replied, making sure that Daniel's woollen hat covered his ears.

Daniel's nose crinkled up; he thought that a snowman sounded like a very strange idea but he was willing to give it a try. He looked over at Jack, who was similarly dressed to him and then turned back to his grandma. "Are you going to make sure Jack won't get cold too?"

Iris chuckled and straightened up before moving over to Jack. "Let's see. He's got his hat… his coat… a scarf… gloves… I think he's ready," she said, grinning at her eldest grandson as she heard a giggle from the younger one.

"Thanks, Grandma," Jack stated wryly. "You ready, Daniel?"

"Yep!" Daniel bounced up and down a couple of times, eager to get started. He followed Jack outside, delighted by the white snow covering the ground. "Ooh," he breathed as the cold hit his face. "Jack, it's cold!"

"It has to be if it snows," Jack replied. He surveyed the back yard and decided on the ideal spot to build the snowman. "Tell me if you get too cold."

"Yeah, sure, you betcha," Daniel sing-songed, crouching down to inspect the snow more closely. Then he looked over at his brother. "How do you build a snowman from snow?"

"Like this." Jack beckoned his brother over to help and soon they had a small snowman built. They gathered enough snow from around the yard to make it almost as tall as Daniel, which amused the little boy very much.

"He doesn't look like a man," Daniel observed as Jack put the sticks in to make the arms.

"Well, that's because we haven't made the face yet." Jack pulled a carrot out of his pocket. "See, this is his nose. And then we just need some stones for his eyes and smaller ones for his mouth."

Daniel immediately raced around the yard trying to find appropriate-sized stones. He had to unbury most of them and when he had two larger ones and eight small ones, he ran back to his brother. "Are these right, Jack?"

"They're perfect." Jack took the stones and put them in the right places, making the snowman smile. "What do you think?"

Daniel took his time scrutinizing the snowman as it was totally new and strange. "It still doesn't look like a man," he commented. "He doesn't have any legs."

"That's because he couldn't stand up on them," Jack improvised. "Now, it's time for a snowball fight." He crouched down and started to gather up snow.

"What's a snowball? Is it like a proper ball?" Daniel wanted to know as he observed what his big brother was doing.

"Yep. And after you make it, you have to throw it at someone," Jack instructed as he shaped the ball loosely as he didn't want to hurt Daniel when he threw it. "Like this." He took a step back and threw it gently at the little boy.

Daniel squealed in surprise as the snowball landed on the front of his coat, then he laughed and crouched down to make his own snowball. Once he had one, he chased Jack around the yard, needing to get close enough so the snowball would hit Jack.

Iris stood in the doorway watching her grandsons play. It was wonderful to see them enjoying themselves, especially Jack. She had the feeling that until Daniel had come to stay, Jack had been too serious about life. Oh, he had fun but he hadn't really played for a long, long time. She was glad that he was getting the opportunity to play now.

"Grandma! Grandma!" Daniel came running up to her. "Do you want to play too?"

"I think I'll just watch," Iris replied, "but thank you for asking."

A grin on his face, Daniel raced back to get Jack with a new snowball. Playing in the snow was fun!

That night, half an hour after Daniel had gone to sleep, the phone rang. Jack quickly snatched it up so it wouldn't wake his brother. "Hello?"

Jack?

"Nick." Great. Jack leaned back in the chair and looked away from his other grandparents. "You're back." It wasn't a question.

This afternoon. Nick stated where he was staying, then added, How are you and Daniel?

"We're both fine. You missed Grandparent's Day at day-care," Jack admonished him. "Fortunately, Tom and Iris were able to come." He ignored the looks he was receiving from his grandparents.

Packing up the dig took longer than I thought, Nick replied. Tomorrow I will be looking for an apartment but I was wondering whether I could come by and see you both?

Jack was silent for a moment. Daniel wouldn't be going to day-care tomorrow so that he could spend time with Tom and Iris but Jack didn't want Nick intruding on that. On the other hand, if Nick came later in the afternoon, he could visit Daniel then go home soon after Jack arrived. "Daniel will be home tomorrow afternoon. You could drop by after two if you like."

Nick sighed with relief. Thank you, Jack. I do not know how long it will take to find a place to live but I promise I will visit tomorrow afternoon.

"Great. I'm sure Daniel will look forward to it. See you then," Jack said before hanging up. He took a moment to compose himself and then turned towards his other grandparents. "Well?" He knew that he hadn't exactly been civil towards Nick but he hadn't been able to help himself; too many years of feeling neglected by him were difficult to erase.

"Be nice to Nick," Iris said, not wanting to make Jack angry but needing to see him work past his feelings towards Claire's father. "He's getting older, Jack, you really need to sort things out with him."

Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. "I know. And I will." If Nick was living close by and visiting Daniel a lot, he would have no choice. But, like with his father, Jack never found it easy to forgive past transgressions.


	53. Nick's Return

-1I know, I know - I'm late again! But don't worry - I'll somehow get in the two or three chapters needed before Christmas g. Thank you everyone for your patience and feedback; I appreciate it very much!

**Chapter 53 - Nick's Return**

**Monday, 22nd December**

Jack decided not to tell Daniel about Nick's visit, just in case the old man didn't show up. Besides, he reasoned to himself, Daniel would get more of a surprise if Nick turned up unannounced.

Daniel was very excited to be spending the day with his grandparents and not having to go to day-care, although he informed Jack that he had to go the next day because that's when Santa would be visiting and Daniel wanted to visit him again. Jack promised that he would be allowed to go, then gave his little brother a hug before leaving to go into the base.

Because it was a nice morning - a little cold but no snow - Iris and Tom took Daniel down to the local park for an hour to help deal with all the young boy's energy. Daniel showed them how he could go down the slide, swing on the swing, and climb on the wooden fort. They were very impressed, making Daniel very proud of being able to play on the things that were foreign to him only a month ago.

They were back by ten, after which Daniel showed his grandparents how to build a pyramid and some other things out of Lego, the little boy chatting away the whole time. When Iris went off to prepare lunch, Daniel and Tom worked some more on the jigsaw. Daniel loved the challenge of trying to work out which piece fitted where and he was always very proud when he spotted the right place before Grandpa Tom did.

After lunch, Daniel sat on Grandma Iris' lap and read his grandparents a story. When he finished, he realised that his grandfather asleep, which struck him as quite funny and he told himself he would have to tell Jack when he got home. "Grandma, look!" He pointed at Grandpa Tom. "He went to sleep while I was reading!"

Iris chuckled, just as amused at the idea as Daniel was. "You read so well that Grandpa probably thought it was time to go to sleep," she stated.

Daniel turned so that he could see his grandmother better. "Are you sleepy too?" It would be an even better story if he had put both his grandparents to sleep.

"A little but I'll have my nap when Grandpa wakes up. Otherwise you won't have anyone to play with." She didn't want to leave Daniel unsupervised. Plus, she didn't want to miss when Nick arrived and that was only about an hour away.

"We'll all have a sleep," Daniel decided, settling himself more comfortably on his grandmother's lap before closing his eyes.

Iris looked down at the young boy and smiled; Daniel really was adorable. Letting her head rest back against the couch, Iris followed suit and drifted off to sleep.

They were all awake again by two o'clock, and Daniel decided he wanted to teach his grandparents how to read hieroglyphs. So he got out his alphabet book and sat on the couch with the others, patiently explaining about each hieroglyph and what they meant.

Daniel had gone through eight hieroglyphs by the time the doorbell rang. "Oh!" he exclaimed, sitting straight and almost dislodging his book. "Is Jack home?" he asked eagerly.

"I don't think so," Iris said as she stood up and went to answer the door. Upon opening it, she found Nick standing on the front step. "Nick. It's been a long time."

"Yes, it has," Nick agreed. He had seen the O'Neill's even less than he had visited his daughter.

"Grandpa Nick!" Daniel slid off the couch and ran to give his other grandfather a big hug. "You came back!"

"Of course I did." Nick patted Daniel on the head as he smiled down at the little boy. "I always keep my promises." The few he did make, that was. He realised too, with Daniel's welcome, that Jack hadn't mentioned anything about this visit. Did Jack, then, still think that he was going to disappoint Daniel by not coming when he said he would? Hadn't anything changed in the time Nick had been away?

Daniel took his grandpa's hand and pulled him towards the living room. "Grandpa Tom, look! Grandpa Nick's here!"

The two men sized each other up silently before shaking hands. They had got on alright the few times they had met, although Tom had always secretly thought that Nick was somewhat of a distant father, hardly ever visiting Claire and her family.

"Grandpa, look what we done!" Daniel said, showing Nick the jigsaw. "Grandpa Tom and me did lots of it yesterday and then today, and we're almost finished!"

"That's very impressive," Nick praised, wondering how much of the jigsaw Daniel had actually had done.

"I've done lots of things since you went away," Daniel continued, getting himself settled on the couch and pulling his grandfather down to sit next to him. "I was in the nativ-ty play at day-care and I was a wise man, and everyone said I was the bestest wise man ever, and I saw Santa Claus and he said that he would get Jack a present, and…"

The three adults listened in amusement as Daniel related all his recent activities, barely pausing for a breath. When he ran out of stories, he wanted to know all about what his grandpa had been doing.

"I took the crystal skull somewhere where it could be studied," Nick replied, thinking back over the past couple of weeks. He was tired of being constantly on the go, having packed up his dig so that he could move to Colorado Springs. "And then I came back here."

"Did you find a place to live? Can we go see it?" Daniel questioned, bouncing up and down in his excitement.

Nick nodded. "It's a small place on the other side of town. But we will until Jack is able to come with us to see it too."

"Jack'll be home soon, can we go then?" Daniel was really eager to see his Grandpa Nick's new home.

"We'll see," Nick replied, unsure of what kind of reception he would get from Jack since the phone call hadn't been too promising. He looked at the book on the table. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Ooh! I teached Grandpa Tom and Grandma Iris some hie-ro-glyphs. Do you want to learn some too?" Daniel asked, not waiting for an answer before he retrieved the book and sat it on his lap. He would have to go back to the start so that Grandpa Nick could catch up but that was okay because then his other grandparents could relearn them.

They had moved on from learning hieroglyphs to Nick telling Daniel stories about his time in Central America by the time Jack got home. Outside the front door, Jack braced himself, knowing that Daniel would quite likely be hyped up because of the visit and therefore way more enthusiastic than Jack currently was. That was, if Nick had bothered to show up at all. No, Jack decided; Nick would be there. The old man wasn't in the habit of disappointing Daniel; he only did that to Jack.

Entering the house, he could hear Daniel's excited chatter as well as Nick's Dutch accent. Time to put on his happy face, then. "Hey, everyone."

"Jack!" Daniel slid off the couch and ran over to his big brother, hugging him around the thighs. "Jack, Grandpa Nick's here and he says he has a new house and we can go and see it now you're home! Can we, pleeeeeease?"

Jack looked over at Nick, who simply shrugged. No help there then, Jack thought as he lifted Daniel into his arms. "It's a bit late today, kiddo. Maybe another day this week."

Daniel pouted at the reply. "But I want to go today."

"And I said no," Jack firmly replied. Daniel still continued to pout, and Jack could feel three pairs of elderly eyes on him, making him feel guilty. "How about we go on Wednesday? I have the day off--"

"Yay!" Daniel cut him off, the pout instantly transforming into a smile. He bounced up and down a couple of times before wriggling his way out of Jack's arms. "Grandpa, we can go on Wednesday!" He paused and turned to face Jack. "How many sleeps is that?"

"Two."

Daniel mentally counted to two and then nodded; that was alright. Two wasn't very many. He climbed back onto the couch between Grandpa Nick and Grandma Iris, then he looked between them. Who would he snuggle up to? Grandma smelled nice but Grandpa had just come back today. Would Grandma mind if he went to Grandpa because he'd had lots of cuddles with her today? Should he ask or should he just go and sit with Grandpa? Or maybe…

He moved closer to Grandpa Nick and then tugged on Grandma Iris' hand to bring her closer to him. When Daniel was sandwiched in between the two, he grinned happily. Problem solved. Then he realised that Grandpa Tom might feel left out and he peered worriedly in that direction.

Jack had observed Daniel's actions over the past minute and wondered what was going through the little boy's mind. "Danny, what's up?"

Daniel hesitated for a second and then zipped over to Jack, climbing onto his lap so that he could whisper loudly in his ear. "I want to sit with Grandpa Tom too but he won't fit. Do you think he'll be sad?" he asked, thinking that his grandparents couldn't hear him.

Hiding a grin - and knowing his grandparents were doing the same - Jack replied in a similar whisper, "I think he'll be okay. Grandfathers understand about these kind of things."

"Really?" When Jack nodded, Daniel was relieved. He went over to his Grandpa Tom and said solemnly, "I can't sit with you right now."

Tom allowed a small part of his smile to show through. "I understand. You can sit with me later."

"Okay!" Pleased that everything had worked out, Daniel went back to his spot on the couch. He liked being with his grandparents and with Jack.

"Daniel," Iris said, smiling down at her grandson, "Wasn't there something you were going to tell Jack?" When Daniel looked blankly at her, she elaborated, "About the book earlier?"

"Ooh!" Daniel bounced up and down as he explained, "I readed to Grandpa Tom after lunch and he falled asleep!" Daniel then started giggling, highly amused at the concept. "Grandma Iris said he must have thought it was bedtime!"

Jack chuckled as he looked over at Tom. "Forgot what time it was, Grandpa?" he teased.

Nick felt an unexpected pang of hurt at the happy tone Jack used towards Tom, and the casual use of the word 'Grandpa'. This was what he had deprived himself of for all these years: a chance to have Jack speak the same adoration-filled way towards him. He shouldn't have asked Jack to not call him Grandpa - it had definitely helped to drive a wedge between them. Somehow, he was going to have to make it up to Jack.

"Daniel did such a good job of reading, I must have," Tom played along, making the little boy giggle again. "I'll have to be really careful next time."

"Jack, can I read to you tonight?" Daniel wanted to see if he could send his big brother to sleep as well since it had worked so well on one of his grandparents.

"We'll see." Jack figured that Daniel would probably forget about it by bedtime and then he wouldn't have to pretend to fall asleep. "Now, what have you been up to all day besides making Grandpa Tom fall asleep?"

Daniel straightened up and launched into a recital of the day's events. The four adults all listened carefully, nodding or laughing in the right places, although Jack's smile became forced when Daniel started talking about Nick. At some point, he was going to have to find the time to talk to Nick without Daniel being present but he didn't know when that was going to happen.

Some time later, Iris excused herself to make dinner and Jack went with her into the kitchen. They heard the two old men take Daniel outside for awhile as the sun was still shining, and then they were free to talk.

"How did Daniel go today?" Jack asked as he started slicing the vegetables.

"Full of energy," Iris replied as she bustled around the kitchen. "We took him to the park this morning but it didn't seem to wear him out at all."

Jack grinned. "I don't know where he gets it from."

"You were just as bad when you were his age," Iris reminded him, patting his arm as she went past. "It's when they're not full of energy that you have to worry."

There was nothing to say to that so Jack just continued with his tasks in silence for another few minutes. Eventually though, he casually asked, "When did Nick arrive?"

Although she was tempted, Iris reminded herself that Jack was an adult and would have to sort through any issues he had with Nick on his own. "A little while after two. Daniel was very pleased to see him." Okay, so she couldn't not interfere.

"I know." Jack stopped what he was doing and bowed his head briefly before turning to face at his grandmother, a woman he had always looked up to. "I don't know how to get rid of the anger," he admitted.

Iris came over to put a hand over Jack's free hand. "By forgiving him and realising that he's only human. Everyone makes mistakes, Jack, and the older you get, the harder it is to fix them or even admit them. Nick's making an effort to be here for Daniel and for you, giving up his career, from what I understand. For him, that takes a lot of courage, especially since he knows what you think of him."

"He abandoned Mom when she needed him," Jack pointed out, not quite ready to forgive him.

"Or maybe Claire simply didn't tell him," Iris countered, thinking that a high possibility. By Jack's expression, she knew she was right. "I know you can't forgive your father yet but Nick shouldn't continue to be punished for being human." She hugged Jack as best as she could in the confines of the kitchen.

Jack put the knife he was holding down and hugged her back properly. "Thanks, Grandma." Even when he didn't like what she said, it always made sense.

Iris chuckled. "That's what I'm here for," she joked, getting back to work. She had confidence that Jack would sort things out with Nick, for Daniel's sake at first and then for his own.

Dinner was a fun affair, and then it was time for Nick to leave. Daniel didn't want his beloved grandfather to leave but allowed himself to be mollified with promises of seeing Nick again in two days' time. And Jack consciously rid himself of the edge that usually coloured his voice whenever he spoke to Nick when he arranged a time to come visit the old man's new place.

Then it was bath time, followed by bedtime. Daniel was still on a high after his grandpa's visit and it took two books before he finally drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face. He'd had a wonderful day. And tomorrow would be just as good.


	54. Santa at DayCare & Nick's New Home

-1Sorry this has taken so long. I meant to have it out before last weekend but it was my grandma's 90th birthday, and then our beloved family cat died of cancer, so things have been hectic. Anyway, here is the next part and I promise I will do my best to get the Christmas Day part out by Christmas Day!

**Part 54 - Santa at Day-care/Nick's New Place**

**Tuesday, 23rd December**

Daniel went off to day-care a very happy boy. He was thrilled that he was going to see Santa again, and he was still happy about his Grandpa Nick's visit the previous day. He gave his other two grandparents some books to read while he was away at day-care, unaware that they were going to be wrapping Christmas presents for much of the day. And after day-care, Jack was taking him shopping to buy something for all his grandparents, which Daniel was very excited about. He would still have to get something for Jack though, which Grandma Iris said she would help him with tomorrow. All in all, he was in for a wonderful few days.

When Santa arrived, Daniel was just as enthusiastic as the other children. He was a little confused at first when Santa didn't look the same as when Daniel had seen him in the shopping centre but he soon forgot all about that, especially when Santa waved at him. Everyone sang 'Jingle Bells', which they had been practising that week at day-care, and then Santa handed out the presents.

Little did Daniel know that a great deal of care had gone into finding a present for him. Jack had actually been consulted by one of the staff, knowing that since this was essentially Daniel's first Christmas with Santa, and they wanted to find something that would make the little boy happy. That, and they all loved the enthusiastic, happy child who was just a delight to have in their care.

Daniel noted that all the other children were ripping open their presents after Santa had handed them all out but he wasn't like that. He opened his carefully, savouring his first present. When he unwrapped it enough to see what it was, his eyes lit up. It was a book on Native American mythology.

"What did you get?" Cassie asked curiously, cuddling her soft toy horse with one arm as she peeked at Daniel's gift. "What's that word?" she continued, pointing at the last one.

"Mythol'gy," Daniel replied. "It means old stories that have been passed down for thousands and thousands of years when there were lots of ancient people."

"Are they any good?" Robert asked from his place on Daniel's other side. His present had been a plastic doctor's kit, complete with stethoscope, thermometer and knee hammer.

"Uh-huh. They're the bestest!" Daniel enthusiastically told his friends. "Mommy and Daddy always telled me Egyptian and Greek stories at bedtime. Now I have more stories to listen to!" He thought that was a wonderful thing, especially since he had lots of people now to tell him those stories. Especially Grandma Iris - she was really good. He looked over at his friends' presents and was a little confused by Robert's gift. "What's those?"

Robert grinned; he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up and knew all about the instruments that doctors used. "This is a steti-scope that lets doctors listen to peoples chests, and this is a therme-meter which says how hot people are, and this is the hammer that the doctors tap on peoples knees and the knees move by themselfs."

Daniel was fascinated by them, as was Cassie, so they spent the next few minutes playing with the doctor stuff. Then everyone had to put their presents away for the rest of the day so Daniel didn't get a chance to look at his book properly until Jack came to pick him up.

"Jack! Look what Santa gave me!" Daniel exclaimed as he ran over to his brother, book in one hand and backpack in the other. "Look! It's lots of myths from ancient native people from here!"

Taking the book from Daniel, Jack looked at the cover, interested to see what 'Santa' had given the little boy. "This looks great, Danny."

"Can you and Grandma read me some stories tonight?" Daniel asked excitedly, eager to get started on the book.

"One, and then we'll put it away for Christmas," Jack replied; that had always been the tradition in his family. "Which is only two sleeps away," he added when Daniel started to pout.

Daniel worked out that he would only miss one night of the stories and then on Christmas Day night, he would get some more. "Okay." He could be happy with that.

Jack was treated to tales of day-care on the trip to the mall to buy Christmas presents for their grandparents. He knew he was cutting it close, with Christmas only two days away, but time had simply gotten away from him. Tomorrow, Iris would be taking Daniel shopping to buy him a present, something that the little boy was apparently looking forward to.

"What should I buy them?" Daniel enquired as they walked through the mall, hand in hand.

"Um… how about we see what we can find?" Jack didn't have a clue what he was going to buy for his grandparents let alone what Daniel could get them. Thinking back to Daniel's chatter, he couldn't help but be pleased that Daniel had liked his present; after all, a book about mythology had been his suggestion. That meant that Daniel would hopefully like the rest of the things that Jack had got for him.

After a lot of searching, Daniel - who only had a limited amount of money and he didn't want to borrow anything from Jack because then the presents wouldn't be only from him - settled on a lovely light blue scarf for Grandma Iris, and woollen beanies for his grandfathers so that their balding heads didn't get too cold in winter. He was very pleased with the fact that he was able to buy them without any help, and he even had money left for buying Jack's present the next day.

Jack had a harder time with his presents, especially Nick's. What was one supposed to get a grandfather whom he, before Claire's death, hadn't seen in such a long time? In the end, he got Tom a navy blue tie with white stripes - the old man wore a tie to church every Sunday that he went, so Jack figured it was a safe kind of present - and for Iris, he got gloves to match Daniel's scarf. As for Nick's present, Jack decided on a simple photoframe, figuring that the old man could put a photo of Daniel or whoever in it.

Shopping done, the two brothers went home. Daniel was amazed by the number of presents that had suddenly appeared under the Christmas tree during the day, especially since a lot of them had his name on them. He was so excited by the presents that he immediately went and put the ones he had bought - which were store-wrapped to avoid grandparents peeking at them - under the tree too. Then he investigated his presents more to try and determine what was in them.

Jack, Iris and Tom couldn't help grinning at Daniel's enthusiasm. It was always refreshing to see children approach Christmas and because Daniel hadn't really done this before, it was also amusing.

"I have lots of presents!" Daniel exclaimed, eventually running over to the couch and climbing up next to Tom when Iris had gone into the kitchen to cook dinner. "And there's some under there for you and Grandma and Jack and Grandpa Nick too! How come I got lots more than everyone else?"

"Because children always get more at Christmas than grown-ups," Tom replied, ruffling Daniel's hair. "And since this is your first Christmas with us, we get to spoil you a little."

Daniel thought about that for a moment and then peered over at Jack. "It's not being greedy if other people give me lots of things, is it?" he asked, still remembering his Uncle Mehet's comment. He didn't want to be greedy at Christmas time because that would be a bad thing and then Santa might not come.

Jack shook his head. "Just don't expect heaps each year," he reminded Daniel.

"I won't," Daniel promised. He knew this was a special Christmas, being there first one in Colorado Springs, so people might give him presents to make up for the last few years. He would have been happy to have maybe five presents but to get more than that was really exciting!

******************

Eventually it was Daniel's bedtime. Iris read him one of the stories from his new book and then kissed him goodnight. Daniel drifted off to sleep a very happy little boy.

******************

**Wednesday, 24th December - Christmas Eve**

The next day dawned overcast, which didn't help Jack's mood. He wasn't really looking forward to visiting Nick but Daniel was - the little boy was wide awake early in the morning and full of his usual energy. After Daniel had breakfast, he started asking Jack every five minutes whether it was time to visit Nick, a habit that got very annoying after the first two times. Jack tried to answer patiently but eventually hid out in his bedroom for awhile - his grandparents were watching Daniel - to take a break from the chirpiness.

Finally - after what felt like forever to Daniel - they got in the car and headed for Nick's new home. Daniel couldn't sit still and continually bounced up and down in his car seat. Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from reprimanding his little brother; it wasn't Daniel's fault that he wasn't looking forward to the visit. Yes, he had promised himself and Iris that he would try to forgive Nick but that didn't mean that he had to like visiting the old man today.

"Which one is it, Jack?" Daniel inquired when the car stopped.

"Just wait a minute, Danny," Jack replied before getting out of the car. He waited until everyone was out on the pavement, then said, "It's number 308B so… that one." He pointed to the second of five small units that were all in a row. It looked to be part of a retirement village - or, at least where older people lived, judging by the looks of the inhabitants that he could see. The unit was a creamy brick with red roof which Jack, if pressed, would probably admit looked okay. "Hold my hand," he instructed Daniel.

Daniel did so and then started pulling his older brother towards the unit. "Come on, Jack, we'll be late!"

"Oy," Jack complained but allowed himself to be pulled along the footpath. He reminded himself that he wasn't going to spoil Daniel's visit and therefore plastered a small smile on his face when he reached the front door.

"Can I press the button, Jack?" Daniel begged, pointing at the doorbell.

"Sure." Jack lifted Daniel up so that the little boy could pressed the button firmly, and then put his brother down in front of him, a possessive hand on the small shoulder.

It was a few seconds before Nick answered the door. He didn't even get a chance to say 'hello' before Daniel was hugging him, the little boy all smiles in contrast to his older brother.

"Grandpa, we're here!" Daniel exclaimed unnecessarily.

"So I see," Nick said, smiling indulgently down at his youngest grandson. "You'd better come in then." As Daniel raced past him into the house, Nick looked at Iris and Tom - who smiled politely at him - and finally at his other grandson. "Jack."

"Nick. Nice house," Jack stated, trying to get the visit off on the right foot.

"Come on everyone!" Daniel shouted from further in the house, impatient with the slow adults. He bounced up and down as he waited for the adults to join him in the living room, which was the first room off the hallway to the left. "Grandpa, why do you have so many boxes? Are there arty-facts in there? Can I see?"

"All in good time, Daniel," Nick replied. "How about we look at the rest of the house first?"

"Okay!" Daniel sped off again, wanting to explore.

"So, how many rooms are there?" Iris asked as the adults set off more slowly.

Jack looked around at the sparse furniture as he half listened to the answer. The house didn't look very lived in yet, which he supposed it wouldn't after only a couple of days. A few essential pieces of furniture - no television, he noted - but it wasn't a home. Yet. Jack had to wonder whether Nick knew how to make a house into a home given that the old man had been traipsing all over the world for the best part of five decades.

There weren't many rooms. Two bedrooms, a living/dining room, kitchen, laundry and bathroom; just like Jack's house actually, only smaller. Just the perfect size for an old man on his own, and the second bedroom would be for when Daniel - and maybe Jack - came to stay.

The adults found Daniel bouncing up and down in the second bedroom, an eager look on his face. "Is this where I get to sleep, Grandpa?" There was no bed in the room but he figured that since this was the only room that he couldn't identify, then it had to be his bedroom.

"Yes, it is," Nick agreed, deliberately not looking at Jack to see what his eldest grandson thought of that idea.

"I have my own little bed that's sometimes a chair," Daniel shared enthusiastically, "but I like my big bed better. Are you going to get a big bed?"

"I'm going to get two big beds, one for you and one for Jack," Nick replied, still keeping his focus on Daniel. As the little boy beamed happily, Nick glanced sideways to see Jack's neutral expression; at least it was better than hostility.

Back in the living room a few minutes later, everyone settled onto the chairs except for Daniel, who was allowed to peek in the cardboard boxes now that the tour was completed. That kept him happy while the others chatted, catching up on many years worth of news. Jack mainly stayed quiet, listening while keeping an eye on Daniel. When his brother eventually tired of exploring and came to sit on his lap, Jack was able to give the conversation his full attention and there was one thing that took him by surprise.

Nick had been lonely.

Despite being surrounded by people on the digs, Jack gathered that it wasn't the same as having family there. His grandmother had died long ago, which meant that Nick had been alone for quite some time and didn't have anyone to share his discoveries with. That showed the old man in a different light and Jack suddenly found himself feeling sorry for Nick. What would it be like to have lived for so long without any family around? Maybe that was part of the reason that Nick had finally decided to give up archaeology.

A little before lunchtime, Daniel started to get restless so Jack decided that was enough visiting for the day. Daniel protested, of course, but Jack didn't give in; nearly three hours was enough for now.

Daniel sighed; Jack was being mean about this but he didn't know why. Still, he hugged his Grandpa Nick goodbye and promised to come over again real soon.

Upon seeing Daniel's sad face, and Iris' expectant one, Jack found himself saying, "Nick, why don't you come over tomorrow for Christmas?"

"Yeah!" Daniel thoroughly supported that idea. "There's lots of presents under the tree and they're for everyone so you have to come so you can open them! Pleeeeeease!"

How could Nick say 'no' to that? "Of course I will come, Daniel. Thank you, Jack," he said, his face expressing his relief at not being alone for Christmas. It would be good to spend it with family again.

******************

After having lunch at the Mall, Iris took Daniel to find a present for Jack while the two men went to find a shop with fishing gear. As they walked along, Iris asked her grandson, "Did you have anything in mind for Jack?"

"An airplane or a train," Daniel said with certainty. He wanted Jack to have an airplane like the one they went to Minnie-something in but it might cost a lot of money so in that case, he wanted to get Jack a train like Grandpa Tom had. Since he didn't have enough money for a whole set though, it would just have to be one train.

They went to the toy store - Sara wasn't working that day - and looked at the model airplanes first. Daniel was disappointed that he couldn't find one like Jack's plane but in the end, that was okay because he didn't have enough money anyway. So then the two of them went to look at the trains.

"Oh! I like this one," Daniel exclaimed, pointing to a bright red engine. It was a little bit longer than his hand and he wasn't sure if it was the type that would go around the tracks but he liked it anyway. Maybe Jack would put it on the mantelpiece in the living room so Daniel could look at it every day.

"Let's check how much it is," Iris said as she examined the train. She looked at the price tag and smiled. "You have just enough money," she told Daniel. "Isn't that lucky?"

"Yep!" Daniel took the train and hugged it to his chest. This was his first present to Jack and he was pleased that it was going to be a good one, and that he could buy it himself.

Shopping done, they headed off to find Jack and Tom. They found the men a few minutes later drooling over the latest in fishing rods. With a sigh, Iris guided Tom away; she was usually tolerant of her husband's love of fishing but the mall was crowded and she preferred to be home in the peace and quiet. Daniel followed suit with Jack, except he actually pulled his big brother away, eager to go home, wrap the present and put it under the tree ready for the morning.

At home, Iris helped Daniel wrap Jack's present and then it was put under the tree with the others. The rest of the day was filled in with things like drawing, watching 'Aladdin', reading and playing. And when it came to bedtime, it took longer than usual to get Daniel to sleep but finally the little boy nodded off, wanting to be up early to experience Christmas with his family.

"You did well today," Iris praised Jack as they went back into the living room. "Both Tom and I are proud of you." It hadn't been easy but she knew that Jack had made the effort for Daniel, which was a good first step.

"Thanks." Jack kissed his grandmother's cheek before settling down on the couch. "I forgot to ask - do we have enough food for Nick?"

"There'll be plenty," Iris replied, sitting next to her grandson. "Don't worry about the food. You just concentrate on making tomorrow a day for Daniel to remember."

Jack grinned at her. "That I can do," he promised. It was bound to be sad at some point because of Melburn and Claire not being there but other than that, Jack would do his best to give Daniel a wonderful day.


	55. Christmas Day

-1Yay, I got this done on time!! Events have conspired to make things difficult this week but I did manage to finish this for those who are still about at the moment. There may not be enough Jack/Nick interaction for some but don't worry, there'll be more in later chapters.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Added: I forgot part of the story!! I was in such a rush to get this done before Christmas Day that I forgot the presents that were supposed to be delivered. So, near the end, is an extra bit with that part in it. Enjoy!

**Part 55 - Christmas Day**

**Thursday, 25th December**

"JackJackJackJackJack!" Daniel tapped his big brother on the shoulder and then scooted well back in case Jack decided to fling an arm out or something. "Wake up, Jack! It's not dark anymore and we have to see if Santa came!"

Stifling a groan, Jack half-opened his eyes to see Daniel bouncing eagerly up and down, Thoth in the crook of one arm. "Still looks pretty dark to me," he commented despite knowing that he was going to have to get up anyway.

"Uh-uh, it's not, I checked," Daniel rebuffed; he had peeked under the window curtain a minute ago to make sure he was allowed up. "Jack, can we go see what Santa has brung us? Pleeeeeeease?"

"Alright, alright," Jack gave in. "Do you want Grandma and Grandpa to be there too?"

"Yep! Can I go wake them up?" Daniel said as he continued to bounce. When Jack nodded, Daniel ran into the hallway but halted at the doorway of the other bedroom. He peeked inside to see if his grandparents were awake yet - they weren't. So he crept into the room and whispered loudly, "Grandma! Grandma, wake up, it's Christmas!"

Iris was already awake so she simply opened her eyes. "Good morning, Daniel. Are you excited?" she asked as she reached a hand behind her and tapped Tom's side to get him waking up.

"Yep!"

Daniel was grinning so hard, Iris figured his cheek muscles would be sore later. "Is Jack awake?"

"Yep! He said to come and see if you were waked up," Daniel shared. "Has Grandpa waked up yet?" He didn't wait for an answer, running around the bed to check for himself. When he saw two closed eyes, he peered closer. "Are you pretending, Grandpa?"

"Nope," Tom stated, knowing the kind of reaction he would get from the little boy.

Daniel giggled, thinking the game funny. "Yes, you are, Grandpa."

"No, I'm not."

Another giggle from Daniel as he reached out and pried one of his grandpa's eyelids open. "Yes, you are. I can see you." He let the eyelid drop closed. "You have to get up, Grandpa, 'cos Santa came and we have to go open presents."

"Are you sure it's Christmas?" Tom teased, trying to sound grumpy about being woken up.

"Yeah, sure, you betcha," Daniel sing-songed his older brother's favourite phrase. "Please, Grandpa, you have to get up 'cos I want you to see all the presents."

By this time, Jack was standing in the doorway after having put the video camera in the living room. "We're only opening Santa's presents now," he told Daniel. "We have to wait until Grandpa Nick gets here to open the rest."

That was fine with Daniel because then Christmas would last longer. "Jack, Grandpa won't get uuuup," he complained.

"Well, how about we go get your robe on so you keep nice and warm while Grandma and Grandpa get up? Then we'll go and see what Santa had brought us," Jack suggested, his spirits starting to lift after the abrupt awakening. He realised that he was actually looking forward to the day, something that hadn't occurred for years. Even the thought of Nick coming couldn't dampen his excitement about the presents.

"Okay!" Daniel ran out of the room and into his bedroom to find his robe resting on the bed. He tried to put it on quickly but got a little tangled. Fortunately, Jack wasn't far behind him and was able to fix things easily. Then Daniel took Jack's hand and tugged him out of the room.

As they entered the living room and Jack switched on the light, Daniel gasped with excitement. In addition to the presents under the tree, there was a pillow-case-sized velvet sack with his name on it. "Look, Jack! Look what Santa's left me!" Daniel exclaimed as he ran over to the sack. The drawstring at the top had been pulled tight so he couldn't peek inside. "Can I open it?" he begged.

"Not yet," Jack replied absently as his gaze fell on a wrapped box-shaped present that he knew he hadn't put there. Who was it for? And from?

Thwarted, Daniel looked around to see if Santa had left anything else, and his eyes alighted on the present Jack had seen. He peered at the tag. "Jack, it's for you! Santa left you a present too! Maybe it's a plane 'cos I asked him if he could get you one, 'member?"

"I remember." Jack made a note to himself to ask Iris about the present later because Santa didn't exist… did he?

Daniel was very excited by the idea of Santa bringing something for Jack. "Do you want to open yours first? You can if you want to," he offered generously. "Ooh, Santa's eated all the cookies!"

Jack looked at the plate that Daniel had, the previous night, left several cookies on. Jack had eaten half of one when he had put out Daniel's presents but he knew he hadn't eaten them all. Another thing to ask his grandparents about. As Iris and Tom came into the room, Jack answered Daniel's question, "You can open yours first, kiddo."

With a big grin, Daniel went over and opened the sack. The first thing he saw was a plush reindeer with a red nose. "It's Rudolph!" Daniel exclaimed, delighted to have a toy of the famous reindeer. He hugged it tightly for a few seconds before remembering that he had more presents to look at. "Can you please hold this, Jack?"

"Sure." Jack sat the reindeer on his lap and kept filming, mentally adding a third thing to his list of questions to ask Iris; the reindeer hadn't been in the sack last night, he was positive about that.

Daniel peered into the sack for the next item. "Books!" He pulled out a stack of books that were tied together with a ribbon. "Mr. Happy," he read out the first title. "Grandma, what are these about?"

"They are about Mr. Men and Little Misses who get up to all sorts of strange things," Iris replied, enjoying watching Daniel in all his excitement. "And they always act as their name says."

"So Mr. Happy is always happy," Tom chimed in.

"Oooh." Daniel thought they would be lots of fun to read. There sure were a lot of them though and he didn't have time to look through them all now if he wanted to see the rest of his presents. So he put them aside for the moment and delved back into the sack.

Next up was a 100-piece jigsaw of Thomas the Tank Engine. Daniel's face lit up! A train puzzle! "Look, Jack!" He took it over to his brother.

"Very nice," Jack agreed.

Daniel examined the picture some more and then put the box next to the books. Then he pulled some more books from the sack - another two bundles - and it seemed like he had the complete set of Mr. Men books. He looked at them with pleasure; he was going to have lots of fun stuff to read.

The next thing was a strange-looking towel. Daniel held it up and looked at it, puzzled. "Grandma, how'm I s'posed to use this?"

"Come here," Iris beckoned. When Daniel came over to her, she helped him put the hooded towel on. "Like this. Now you look like a duck."

"Really?" Daniel tried to look at himself but when he looked upwards, he couldn't see past the beak. Still, he saw enough to know that his grandma was telling the truth. "Look at me, I'm a duck! Quack, quack! Quack, quack!"

He did that for a few minutes, pleased that he was making the others laugh, and then settled down next to the sack again. Next out were some pencils and a sketch pad. And then… "Trains!" Daniel pulled out several small boxes containing engines and carriages, and a larger box that held pieces of a railway track. His very own train set! "Look, Grandpa, trains!" He went over to show his grandpa the engines.

"Just like mine," Tom agreed with a twinkle in his eyes. "Now you'll be able to play with them all year long."

Daniel bounced with happiness. "Can we set them up now?" he asked eagerly.

Jack shook his head. "Better see if you've got anything else first."

Reluctantly, Daniel put the trains down and once again delved into the sack. He pulled out three movies and a box set of Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs. "Ooh," he breathed as he sat down and read the back of the cases. He thought that the train ones sounded good but he didn't know about the other ones: 'Home on the Range', 'The Emperor's New Groove' and 'Shrek'. The last one looked like it could be good though, even if it didn't have trains or mythological stuff in it.

Setting them aside with the other things, Daniel peered into the sack to see if there was anything else left. There was: a brightly wrapped parcel with a tag on it. Daniel took it out and read the tag. Then he looked at Jack, torn between excitement and sadness.

"Who's it from, kiddo?" Jack queried, although he already knew. He'd had to ask Iris to wrap it because he had found that he couldn't.

"Mommy and Daddy," Daniel replied quietly, looking at the angels on the tree. "Thank you," he said to them, knowing they were watching and listening. They must have given it to Santa to give to him.

Jack handed the video camera over to Tom and then beckoned Daniel over to sit on his lap. Once the little boy was settled, Jack said, "Do you want some help?"

Daniel thought about it and then nodded. He let Jack help him take the sticky tape off and then Daniel unwrapped the parcel. His mood changed instantly. Small fingers eagerly undid the leather straps and he opened the soft case to see an array of child-sized archaeological tools. "Jack, look at what Mommy and Daddy gaved me! Now I can be just like them!"

"That's great," Jack stated, trying to sound enthusiastic. It would have been if Claire and Melburn were still around to give them to Daniel themselves. "We'll have to build a sandpit outside so you can go digging."

"Ex'vating," Daniel corrected him as he examined every single tool. His own kit! Now he could be a proper archaeologist!

When he was finished examining, Daniel leaned back against Jack's chest and stared up at his brother. "Maybe Mommy gave Santa something to give to you too," he commented. "You have to open your present now. Oh! I have to thank Mommy and Daddy!"

Jack watched as Daniel went over to the tree and kissed the angels he thought represented his parents. Jack missed being that young and innocent, and he had to swallow the lump in his throat. Glancing over at his grandparents, he saw they were just as affected by Daniel's actions.

Daniel brought the other present over to Jack and sat in his lap again. "Your turn," he ordered. He wanted to see what his brother got but he also wanted to start playing with his new things.

Curious as to what was inside, Jack unwrapped the present. When the paper was removed, he stared in surprise. It was a model of plan that looked exactly like the one he rented.

"A plane!" Daniel was thrilled for his brother. "Santa said he would see what he could do when I asked him if you could have a plane and he gaved you one!" Santa was such a nice man! Daniel was glad they had put several cookies out for him instead of only one as Jack had suggested.

Jack looked over at his grandparents, whom he was sure had bought him the gift, but all he saw were genuinely surprised expressions on their face. If they hadn't got it for him… who had?

"Can we set up my trains now?" Daniel asked, wanting to start playing with his presents. He had so many things - books and puzzles and trains and drawing stuff - that he thought he would need all day just to try them all out!

"Sure." And maybe then he would be able to get Iris by herself and see where the extra gifts had come from.

*******************

Twenty minutes later, Daniel and Tom had the train set organised and were busily playing. When Iris went to check on the turkey, Jack followed her out to the kitchen. "Grandma, when did you put those extra presents out? I didn't even hear you."

"I didn't. And neither did Tom," Iris replied truthfully. "We thought you must have put that reindeer in the sack after we'd gone to bed."

Jack shook his head. "It wasn't me. And besides, why I would I put something out there for me?"

"Well then," Iris mused thoughtfully, "perhaps there really is a Santa Claus." It would certainly explain how the two extra presents got there.

"Grandma," Jack admonised. Angels, aliens and now Santa Claus? When did his life get so full of fantasy figures? Oh yeah - when Daniel arrived.

"Jack, just go and enjoy the day. It doesn't matter where the gifts come from," Iris said, shooing her grandson out of the kitchen; she had work to do.

He wasn't entirely convinced that Iris was telling him the truth but Jack resigned himself to not finding out. So he went into the living room and joined in the fun there.

*******************

At nine o'clock, Nick arrived by taxi. Jack let him in and the old man was immediately accosted by Daniel, who was still in a state of excitement. "Grandpa, come see what Santa gaved me! I got trains and books and a reindeer and a jigsaw and movies!" He tugged on Nick's hand and led him into the living room.

Nick greeted Tom and Iris, then settled down in one of the chairs. "How about you show me what you got?" he said to Daniel. He had woken that morning feeling lonely but after only a minute in the house, he felt better.

Enthusiastically, Daniel paraded all his presents for his other grandfather, leaving the trains until last. He preened happily whenever Nick praised the presents, and then climbed onto the old man's lap with the Mr. Happy story. "Can you please read this, Grandpa?"

"Certainly." The last feeling of loneliness disappeared as he started reading; this was what he had missed out on for all those years without family around him. Now that he had Jack and Daniel, he would do his best to be a good grandfather to them.

******************

Time passed quickly through the morning as Daniel kept all the adults entertained, especially when a Christmas CD was turned on and he sang along to it. He occasionally threw longing glances at the presents under the tree but as he had been told they would be opened after lunch, he didn't ask to open them.

Jack found that he could actually make civilised conversation with Nick when the older man asked him about his job. And as the morning wore on, he could almost forget that only a few weeks ago, he had hated his grandfather. Today, it was too much effort to hate him and so Jack found himself another step closer to actually liking Nick again.

Lunch was a noisy affair, filled with laughter and joy. Crackers were pulled and novelty items groaned over, although Daniel loved the little trinkets, having never seen them before. Then it was back into the living room to open more presents as Daniel couldn't wait any longer.

Daniel appointed himself as Santa's helper and handed out the gifts. The only problem with that was that most of them were for himself and he stopped every time he had to open one. Soon he had a large pile of clothing - from his grandparents - and Lego - from his new cousins - and a Mayan pot - from Nick - next to him while everyone else hardly had anything. Jack had some clothes as well from Iris and Tom, and he was surprised to receive a jewelled dagger from his other grandfather.

"Nick?" Jack asked, unable to guess as to the value of such an item. It didn't look brand new so Jack guessed it was likely an artifact of some sort.

"It's a Mayan dagger," Nick explained. "Don't worry, I won't get into trouble for giving to you. There were plenty more of them at the site so they won't miss one. I just thought you might like it."

"I-I do, thank you," Jack stammered, stunned that Nick actually appeared to have given it some thought. It might not the stuff of dreams where Nick would give him something that was priceless but that didn't matter. His grandfather had actually considered what he would like and arranged to bring it here for him. That was… nice.

Daniel admired the knife for a few moments, careful to keep his fingers away from the blade, and then decided to keep going with the presents. He was down to the last few presents, mainly the ones he and Jack had bought for their grandparents. He handed Jack's out first, acting with great ceremony and then sat down to open his.

"Oh, they're lovely," Iris enthused about the gloves. They were lovely and warm, and in her colour.

When Nick and Tom echoed the sentiments - although not precisely the words - about their gifts, Jack felt pleased that he had been able to find something each of them liked. Shopping really wasn't his thing but it seemed that he could do a decent job when he put his mind to it.

"Jack?" Daniel tapped his big brother's knee. He had opened his present and wanted to know more. "What's a-stron-o-my?"

"Remember the stars?" Jack queried. When Daniel nodded, he continued, "Well, astronomy is the study of the stars. Sometimes the stars make shapes in the sky and over the years, people have given those shapes names based on characters from mythology."

"Ooh!" The mythology part sounded really good. "Thank you!" He gave Jack a big hug and promptly sat down to look at the new book.

"Uh, Daniel? What about the rest of the presents?" Jack prompted, hiding his amused smile.

"Oops!" Daniel handed out the next lot of presents. "These are from me," he announced. "I buyed them with my own money." He watched expectantly as everyone opened their gifts, waiting to see if they liked them.

Iris gave him a big smile. "Oh, Daniel, I love this." She wound it around her neck so that he could see how much she liked it.

Daniel beamed at the praise and then turned to his grandfathers. "Do you like them?"

"Of course," Tom replied, copying his wife and putting his beanie on. "How does it look?"

"Stunning," Jack said dryly as Daniel giggled. "Nick, you'd better put yours on too."

Daniel giggled again when his other grandfather put the beanie on. "You look super-dooper!" he said, spreading his arms out wide and grinning. "Jack, your turn!" He situated himself right next to his brother, eager to see the reaction.

"O-kay." Jack slowly opened the present and when he saw the train engine, he gave a surprised huff of laughter. Then he looked at Daniel's eager expression and grinned. "Wow, Daniel, it's fantastic."

"I wanted to buy you a plane but they cost lots and then I saw this and I thought you'd like it," Daniel explained, over the moon that Jack liked it. "And now that Santa's gived me lots of trains too, it matches! Let's play!"

With a chuckle, Jack resigned himself to an afternoon of playing.

******************

Daniel ended up having a short nap during the afternoon, having worn himself out with excitement. Then, when he woke up, everyone watched 'Shrek'. Some more time for play happened before dinner, as well as photos, with Daniel opening some of his Lego.

The highlight of the day - at least for Jack, was around four-thirty when there was a delivery for him and Daniel. The little boy was thrilled with his new bicycle (which had training wheels) and wanted to ride it straight away. Unfortunately, it was snowing lightly at the time so he had to be content with just sitting on it and pretending to ride it.

Jack looked at the long wrapped present that was for him with curiosity. "What is it?" he asked Iris.

She simply smiled at him and said, "You'll have to open it to find out, won't you?"

Having no comeback to that, Jack opened the present. "A telescope?" he said in amazement. "Grandma, you shouldn't have." It must have cost a fortune.

"Of course we should have," Tom replied. "What's the good of having money if we can't spend it on family every once in a while." He had totally agreed with Iris on splurging out on the telescope, not wanting Jack to feel left out since Daniel would have the most attention this year.

"And we know how much you love astronomy," Iris added, "So instead of getting you lots of small gifts, we decided to get you the telescope." She leaned over to where he was sitting and kissed his cheek. "I take it you like it."

"Definitely." Never in his dreams had he thought of getting such a wonderful gift. He, like Daniel, wouldn't be able to try it out tonight though if the weather didn't clear. "Thank you very, very much." He kissed his grandmother's cheek, beyond pleased.

Nick was a little subdued when he saw Jack's enthusiasm at the gift but he reminded himself that was only to be expected. And besides, Jack had liked the dagger. Maybe next year, he should some more research into what his grandson liked though.

******************

After dinner, Nick stayed until seven, enjoying the family atmosphere. He was also pleased that he and Jack had put aside their differences for the day.

Daniel gave his grandpa a huge hug and thanked him profusely for the Mayan pot which he thought was wonderful.

"You're most welcome," Nick replied, ruffling the little boy's hair. "And thank you for a lovely day."

"It was the best!" Daniel agreed.

Jack came to stand behind his brother and extended a hand towards Nick. "It was good," he stated sincerely. "Thank you."

Nick shook the hand, aware of the big step Jack was taking with that gesture. "No, thank you. I'm glad I was here for it. And if you can give me that photo of you and Daniel together…"

"Sure." Jack was pleased that Nick wanted to display the photo in the new frame. "See you soon."

"Bye, Grandpa!" Daniel waved enthusiastically. He watched his grandfather walk out to the cab and then looked up at Jack. "What do we do now?"

******************

After doing a drawing of everyone celebrating Christmas, it was Daniel's bedtime. His grandma read him one of the Mr. Men stories and then Jack read him one of the Native American myths. And finally Christmas was over when Daniel drifted off to sleep, a big smile on his face.


	56. Sledding and Skating time

-1Sorry this took so long!! Apart from being quite busy, I've had trouble writing anything these past couple of months, but I finally got this finished!! Thank you all for being so patient with me :)

Btw, by my count, there will probably be only four more chapters to go. I know what I want to get written, and have the last two chapters practically done already (they've been done for three years!), so it will basically be the next two that will take time to write.

Anyway, please enjoy!!

**Part 56 - Sledding and Skating time**

**Friday, 26th December**

Daniel was awake early again and went quietly into the living room to play with his new things. He stood there for a few minutes, hands on hips, as he tried to decide what to do first. Should he play with the trains or wait for Grandpa to play with him? Or should he build something with the Lego? It was such a difficult decision. He looked over at the bike; he really wanted to try riding it but knew that Jack didn't want him to do so in the house. Hopefully it would be nice outside later so that he could get to try riding it.

When Jack got up five minutes later, he found Daniel playing with the trains. Jack left him to it while he got breakfast; it was easier not to have Daniel underfoot. Soon, however, Daniel arrived at the kitchen table and hauled himself up onto one of the chairs.

"What are we going to do today?" Daniel enquired enthusiastically, swinging his feet in his excitement. "Can we ride my bike? Is it snowing? Will we play in the snow? Will Grandma and Grandpa come with us?"

"It's been snowing overnight so bike riding might be out," Jack replied as he started making the porridge. "But how about we go ice-skating or sledding instead?"

Daniel's face scrunched up as he tried to remember what Jack had told him about those activities. Ice-skating meant putting on special boots so that he could walk on ice, and sledding was… he couldn't remember. "Jack, what's sledding?"

"When you go down a snow-covered slope on a sled," Jack stated half-absently.

Daniel thought this over. Going down a slope sounded scary - like going down the slide for the first time. "What's a sled? Will you come with me?"

Jack put a glass of chocolate milk in front of Daniel as he said, "A sled is like a large piece of wood that you sit on, and if we find a big enough sled, I'll be able to ride with you."

"Yeah!" Daniel was really excited about that. "Will Grandma and Grandpa ride with us too?"

A chuckle escaped Jack at the thought of his grandparents on a sled. "I think they'll just watch us," he replied as he thought about where his old sled might be. If it wasn't in the garage, he would have to hire one from somewhere, or perhaps buy one. Maybe he ought to see if Daniel liked it before buying one though.

"Super-dooper!" Daniel still hadn't quite got the hang of when to use that phrase but that didn't worry him. He was going to have another great day with his brother.

***************

Jack found his old sled in the garage and by ten o'clock, everyone was in the car headed for the park across town where sledding was best. He planned that they would spend the morning sledding, have a picnic lunch in the park, and then go to the ice rink in the afternoon where he and Daniel could hire ice skates.

Daniel, who was clothed warmly against the cold, was enthusiastic until he saw all the people sledding down the hill at the park. There were many of them, and the hill itself seemed quite high. He took hold of Jack's hand and held on tightly, suddenly unsure about this new adventure.

"Hey, what's up?" Jack queried, putting the sled on the ground and lifting Daniel into his arms. "You nervous?"

"It's bigger than the slide," Daniel pointed out. And if that made his tummy feel strange, how much more so would it going down the hill? He put his thumb in his mouth for comfort.

"Yeah, but remember, I'm going to be with you the whole time," Jack reminded him, giving Daniel a little jiggle. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Daniel quietly surveyed the people sledding down the hill for a few more seconds and then removed the thumb from his mouth. "You promise?"

"I promise." When Daniel didn't say anything else, Jack put him carefully down and then picked up the sled with one hand. The other hand held his little brother's. "You ready?"

Daniel nodded and held onto Jack tightly as they made their way over to the bottom of the hill. There were several old people - grandparents, Daniel thought - sitting on benches at the bottom, watching those who were sledding.

"This looks like a good spot," Iris stated, finding some free space on the end of one bench. She had blue thick coat on, along with her new scarf and gloves, while Tom wore his thick beige coat and the new woollen beanie to protect his balding head. "We'll be able to see you well from here."

"Don't you want to come with us?" Daniel inquired, not wanting his grandparents to miss out.

Iris smiled as Tom replied, "No, thank you, Daniel, we'll be right here. Sledding is for young people and we both did our share when we were your age."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You were like me?" he asked incredulously. He couldn't believe that! Grandmas and Grandpas were always old, not young; that was the rule.

Everyone chuckled at the disbelief in Daniel's voice; it was always amusing to realise how kids viewed the world around them. "Yes, we were once like you," Tom said. "A long, long, long time ago."

"In a galaxy far, far away," Jack added; even though he had never been a big fan of Star Wars, he knew all the famous phrases.

"Huh?" That puzzled Daniel even more.

"Never mind," Jack said, pulling out the video camera to remind Tom how to work it. "Now, Grandpa--"

"I know how to work it," Tom stated, taking the video camera from Jack.

Jack half-grinned. "Sorry, Grandpa. Well, we'd better go sledding then," he continued. "See you soon."

Daniel stuck close to Jack as they walked up the hill together. There were lots of people, which meant lots of voices, and in new places, that tended to scare him. He knew that Jack would protect him but that didn't erase all the nervousness.

At the top, Jack found a space and set the sled down. He carefully sat on the back of it and then lifted Daniel to sit in front of him. "Ready?"

Daniel shook his head. The way down looked very long from here, so long that he wouldn't have been able to tell where Grandma Iris was if she hadn't been dressed all in blue.

Jack made sure Daniel was holding onto the upward-curving front of the sled securely, and that one of his own arms was holding his brother firmly in front of him; he didn't want Daniel to fall off. "Grandpa's down the bottom with the video waiting for us," he reminded the little boy.

Daniel didn't want to disappoint his grandparents but he wasn't sure he could do this. "I won't fall off?" he queried.

"I'll hold on tightly," Jack promised, squeezing Daniel's middle gently. "So… shall we go?"

After a few more seconds, Daniel nodded tentatively. Then he was screaming with excitement as the sled moved forward and suddenly they were going fast down the hill. Everything rushed past in a blur and Daniel closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then the sled stopped. He slowly opened his eyes and saw they were at the bottom of the hill. He had done it! "Jack, we sledded down the hill!"

"That we did." Jack lifted Daniel into a hug. "You were very brave," he praised.

"I closed my eyes a bit 'cos everything went fuzzy," Daniel felt compelled to admit.

"That's okay," Jack grinned. Settling Daniel onto one hip, he pulled the sled out of the way of the other people coming down. "Next time, you need to keep looking at Grandma and Grandpa, and then things won't seem so fuzzy."

"Can we go again now?" Daniel asked. This time he would be more brave and keep his eyes open the whole time. His tummy was a bit tingly, just like when he went on the slide, but it didn't stop him from wanting to do it again.

"You betcha." Jack could do this all day.

*******************

The second time down the hill, Daniel kept his eyes open the whole way and was thoroughly thrilled with the experience. Over the next couple of hours, they made many trips down the hill together, with occasional stops at the bottom to share the excitement with Iris and Tom.

By lunchtime, Daniel couldn't stop bouncing, he was that excited now he was over the fear and nervousness. As they sat at a picnic bench eating lunch, Daniel recounted everything out loud, silence only coming when he was chewing. Jack smiled to himself; Daniel just loved sharing experiences with whoever he could. Maybe he would make a great teacher one day.

Just after one o'clock, they packed up and went to the outdoor ice-skating rink. It wasn't as busy as Jack had thought it would be but there were still a lot of families on the ice. Still, he would be able to give Daniel some lessons, which was the main point.

As Jack tied the rented ice-skating boots onto Daniel's feet, the little boy asked lots of questions, eager to know everything about this new activity.

"What are on the boots?"

"Metal blades. Don't touch them with your hand, they're very sharp."

"Why are they so thin?"

"To… make it easier to skate." Jack wasn't sure of the technical reason.

"Will I be able to stand up?"

"Yes."

"Will it hurt if I fall down?" Daniel looked very concerned at this question.

Jack didn't want to reply 'yes' but knew he couldn't lie either. "Possibly. It depends how hard you fall."

Daniel's expression became wary. "I don't want to fall, Jack. I don't like having ouchies."

He could sympathise with that. "They won't be big ouchies," he promised, hoping that he wasn't lying. "And I'll do my best to make sure you don't fall over."

That was good then. Daniel slipped his hand into his big brother's and let Jack lead him out onto the ice. It felt very strange walking in the skates but he wasn't afraid of falling over because he knew Jack wouldn't let him. Daniel turned and waved to his grandparents, who were again going to just watch.

"Okay, we're going to step out onto the ice," Jack said as they approached the rink wall. "Remember to keep your knees bent slightly, and hold onto my hand, and you'll be fine."

Daniel gripped Jack's hand tightly and followed him carefully onto the ice. Immediately, he started to wobble but he didn't fall; Jack held him steady. Daniel didn't feel very secure though and he looked up at his brother with a scared expression.

"It's okay," Jack soothed. He got Daniel balanced and then started slowly leading him around the edge of the rink.

It took Daniel a few minutes to stop holding Jack's hand so tightly and to actually start thinking that this was okay. There were lots of other kids around who were like him and holding onto someone, so he realised it was normal.

Over the next hour, Daniel's confidence built gradually until he tried skating over a short distance all by himself. He was very wobbly but he did it, falling into Jack's arms at the end, a big grin on his face. "See, Jack! I skated by myself!"

"That you did," Jack said proudly. "And it was lots of fun, wasn't it?"

"Uh-huh," Daniel agreed. "Can I do it again?"

"You betcha."

So for the next ten minutes, Daniel practised skating by himself, slowly increasing the distance but never venturing too far from Jack. He did fall once but it was backwards so he didn't get any injuries except for a sore bottom. Then, when he was finished, he and Jack went back to where their grandparents were sitting and the little boy related everything he had felt to them.

Back at the house, Daniel wanted to see the video of the sledding and skating so everyone settled down to watch it. Daniel sat on Jack's lap for awhile, then transferred to sit between his grandparents so that he could tell them all the things he had told them before in the car.

After he found out that Iris and Tom would be going home the next day, he brought out as many photo albums as he could and started showing them all the ones they hadn't seen yet. That occupied most of the evening and Daniel was in his element explaining everything about Egypt that his four-year-old brain could remember.

*******************

After Daniel had gone to bed - the little boy had been most reluctant because he wanted to spend more time with his grandparents - Jack phoned Sara to ask for a date the next night. They talked for some time, and then Jack phoned Nick to see if he could baby-sit Daniel. That would mean that Nick would also have to stay over so that Jack could stay out late if the date was going well; when the old man was settled, Daniel could have a sleep-over which would leave the house free if Jack wanted to invite Sara over. The young man figured that he would have to get used to Daniel spending time with their grandfather at some point so he might as well start now. And Nick hopefully wouldn't be able to do anything wrong - like allow Daniel to be injured - if he was in Jack's house.

Hopefully.


	57. Dates, BabySitting Duties and Bikes

-1**Well, I almost made it under a month (give or take a week)! Still, here's the next part for everyone's enjoyment. Thanks to Nyx Ro for the suggestion about the date - it may not be as detailed as she was hoping but they just didn't want to co-operate with what I wanted them to do. Still, as least there's two storylines tied up and three more chapters to do. Thank you all for your continued feedback and for sticking with this story, especially those who have been waiting nearly four years for the end of it!!!**

**Btw, I'm thinking of having this published as a zine when it's finished (and provided I can find someone to do some pictures or manips for it). Would there be a great deal of interest out there to buy it? And would people prefer to read it as a book or on a CD? (because that will influence who I ask to publish it)**

**Part 57 - Dates, Baby-Sitting Duties, and Bikes**

**Saturday, 27th December**

The morning went well until Jack announced it was time to go. Daniel's expression suddenly changed; he then climbed onto Iris' lap and hugged her. "Don't go, Grandma." His tone seemed quite distressed.

Iris looked at her husband and then at Jack, who were all bewildered by the sudden change. "We have to go, Daniel," she tried to soothe the young boy. "We promised Sophie and Tara that we would visit."

"But what if you don't come back?" Daniel said, close to tears. "What if you become angels like Mommy and Daddy?"

Oh. Iris' heart just melted. Daniel had been so good that they had all forgotten how he must have felt when his parents hadn't come home. She caught Jack's eye for a moment, noting his pain, and then hugged Daniel tightly. "I know it's hard, sweetheart, but remember - your Grandpa Nick went away and came back again, didn't he?"

Daniel gave the tiniest of nods against her shoulder.

"Well, this will be just like that," Iris promised knowing, however, that she and Tom were of an age where it was possible they might die at any moment. But she couldn't bear to see Daniel sad about them leaving. "We have to go back to live in our house, and then you and Jack will be able to come and visit us, and sometimes we'll come here instead."

Jack watched helplessly as Iris dealt with Daniel's fears much better than he had a few weeks ago. Had it only been a month since Daniel had come to live with him? It seemed so much longer than that, and he wondered how long it felt to his little brother.

Daniel sucked on his thumb as he thought about his grandma's words. It was true that Grandpa Nick had come back after leaving which meant, at least, that the old man was safe from being an angel for the time being. But he wasn't so sure about his other grandparents because they hadn't gone away before. "What if they're mean and they take you away?"

"I don't think angels are mean, Daniel, not on purpose," Iris replied, stroking the young boy's back. "But if they try to take us away, we'll just explain that we have to stay here for you and I'm sure they'll let us go."

Thinking that was reasonable, Daniel relaxed. The only angel he had met so far had seemed very nice so maybe they all were. "I'll tell Mommy and Daddy and Oma to make sure the other angels don't take you away." He wriggled off his grandmother's lap and ran over to the Christmas tree to talk to his 'parents'.

"I'm sure that will work too," Iris said. She turned to look at Jack and mouthed 'Oma?' as she hadn't heard this name before.

'Later,' Jack mouthed back. "So, are we good to go?" he asked Daniel a few seconds later.

"Uh-huh." Daniel still didn't like the idea of his grandparents going but he now pretty sure that they were going to be safe.

******************

Daniel was quiet on the trip into the station but his eyes lit up when he saw the trains. Suddenly he was all chatter again though he remained very clingy, holding onto Iris' or Tom's hand the whole time. He fell silent again when his grandparents had boarded the train, still a little uncertain about them going home. One of his arms wound around Jack's neck as he sat on his brother's hip, needing the contact to feel that everything was going to be alright.

Jack kept one hand on Daniel's back, rubbing gently, knowing that his little brother wasn't happy. He leaned down and kissed his grandmother's cheek, allowing Daniel to do the same, and moved onto Tom. "Call us when you get home," he instructed; Daniel would be waiting for that call.

"We will," Tom promised. None of them wanted Daniel to worry for too long. He accepted the little boy's hug and kiss with his own hug. "And you keep Jack in line, make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

Daniel nodded enthusiastically, proud to have been charged with this task. "But I can't when he's at work 'cos I won't be there."

"Well, I'm sure his commanding officer will be able to do that," Tom said as Jack rolled his eyes.

"I don't get into trouble, thank you very much," Jack refuted, ignoring the wink Tom gave Daniel, who giggled. Really, the things he had to put up with! "Anyway, we'd better get off the train or we'll end up in Denver with you. Say good-bye, Daniel."

"Bye Grandma! Bye Grandpa!" Daniel waved over Jack's shoulder as he was carried off the train. The whistle blew once they were on the platform, indicating that the train was ready to leave, and Daniel's face fell. "Jack, are you sure they're not going to become angels?"

"Positive," Jack replied confidently. He was hoping they would be around for a long time to come so that they could help him with Daniel.

They waved goodbye to their grandparents and then went to do some food shopping. When that was all done, they headed home and Daniel watched his 'Atlantis' movie while Jack did some chores that he had neglected since his grandparents had arrived.

******************

After dinner, when Jack reminded Daniel that he would be going on a date tonight and that Nick was coming over, the little boy exclaimed 'ooh!' and ran off to his bedroom. Curious at the strange reaction, Jack followed his brother into the room. "Daniel?"

"I have to draw a 'thank you' to Sara for finding the Daddy angel for me," Daniel explained as he got all his drawing stuff together and sat at his small white table. "I should have drawed lots of 'thank yous' to everyone who gived me presents but I forgotted. Mommy and Daddy always say that you should thank peoples who give you presents so I'm going to draw lots and lots of pictures." He paused. "'Cept I've forgotted everyone who gived me something. Jack, can you write down who gived me presents?"

"Tomorrow," Jack promised, quite amused at the long speech. He was also pleased that Daniel was going to give Sara something. "How about tonight you just do Sara's?"

"And Grandpa Nick's," Daniel stated, drawing very carefully. "'Cos I've already drawed Grandma Iris' and Grandpa Tom's. And I'll have to do one for Santa, 'cos he gived me lots of stuff too."

"Sounds good," Jack agreed, ruffling Daniel's hair. "You keep drawing, I'll go get ready."

Daniel didn't bother replying; he was too busy concentrating.

******************

By the time Jack was ready, so was Daniel. They sat together on the couch, Daniel's drawing on the coffee table, as they waited for Nick to arrive so that Jack could go off on his date. The little boy was relating all his favourite things about the past week but he stopped as soon as the doorbell sounded. "Ooh! Grandpa Nick!" And off he rushed to the door.

"Hold on!" Jack ordered, wanting to be on the safe side. He checked out the window first and then caught up with his excited brother at the door. He opened it and greeted his grandfather.

"Hello, Jack. Daniel," Nick replied, smiling down at the bouncing boy in front of him. "Have you had a good time with your other grandparents?"

"Super-dooper!" Daniel exclaimed as he pulled his grandpa inside. "We went sledding and skating yesterday! And I didn't fall down much at all!"

"That's excellent," Nick stated as he allowed himself to be led into the living room, where he put his overnight bag down. "I used to go skating when I was a boy. There was a pond in our town that would freeze over every winter, and everyone would go to skate there."

"Ooooh." Daniel was very impressed that his grandpa knew how to skate. "Do you want to come with me and Jack? Jack can skate really good."

Nick chuckled and heard Jack do likewise. "I think I'm a bit too old for that now, Daniel. But thank you for asking." His old bones wouldn't withstand the falling on the ice these days.

Daniel was a little put out by that but only until he remembered that old people couldn't do as many things as boys or grown-ups like Jack could. He patted a wrinkled hand and said, "It's okay that you're old, Grandpa. So were Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom so they tooked lots of photos instead but they're still in the camera so you can't see them yet."

"And on that note, I'm off," Jack said, picking Daniel up for a hug and a kiss. "You be a good boy for Grandpa Nick."

"I will," Daniel promised. He was going to be the bestest boy ever!

Jack put his brother down and then turned to Nick. "He can have some milk before bedtime - Daniel likes chocolate the best. And he needs to be in bed by eight-thirty at the latest, so put him in there earlier than that and then read a book or two."

"With voices," Daniel interrupted.

"With voices," Jack agreed. "You'll sleep in Daniel's bed tonight and he'll sleep in his special bed. If you need me, my cell number's on the fridge, as is the number for the restaurant. I'll be home sometime after eleven at the earliest." He hoped. With there being no need to hurry home, he might get about a bit of action tonight with Sara.

"Ooh!" Daniel ran over to the table, grabbed the drawing and then gave it to Jack. "Can you give this to Sara and say thank you for finding the Daddy angel please?"

"Sure." Jack took the picture carefully, not wanting to get creases in it. "I'll see you later. Both of you," he added, nodding at Nick.

"Have a good time," Nick replied. He knew that Jack wouldn't hang around now to talk so he hoped that he would get a chance to tomorrow morning.

"Oh, I will." Jack had no doubt about that.

As soon as Jack had left, Daniel climbed onto the couch next to Nick. "Do you want to play with the trains or with the Lego or play Snap, Grandpa?"

"Uh… whatever you want to do," Nick replied. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had to look after a small child on his own. He had been thinking about things to do with Daniel all day but given the lack of familiar objects - no archaeological digs where they could go digging - he hadn't come up with anything.

"Let's play trains!" The train set had been left set up in the living room for a few days so that Tom could play with Daniel. The little boy had added a few things to it as well. Daniel scrambled back down onto the floor to explain everything to his grandfather. "This is the station where everyone gets on the train for the ex-ki-vation tour. And this is the pyramid where they can go searching for mummies and treasure, and then they go here to look for gold and arty-facts and stuff."

Part of Nick was pleased to see that Daniel had included the Mayan pot; it indicated that the boy liked the gift. On the other hand, it was an artefact from a long extinct civilisation and Daniel was using it as a toy. Time enough to teach him otherwise as he grew older, Nick supposed.

That reminded him of the archaeological tools Daniel had got for Christmas. Iris had told him - as Jack had told her - that Claire had bought the tools only days before she had died. It had made Nick sad to hear that, knowing that Claire would have been greatly looking forward to teaching Daniel how to use everything only to have fate intervene so cruelly. Now, it would be up to him to teach Daniel the proper use of the tools so that the little boy could continue the family tradition. He smiled sadly to himself; he would do Claire proud and hope, as Daniel believed, that she was looking down on them from heaven.

"Grandpa!"

Nick pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked at Daniel, who had poured some more Lego out on the floor. "Yes, Daniel?"

"The Mayans had pyramids, only they weren't proper pyramids, didn't they?" Daniel questioned.

"Yes, they were called ziggurats," Nick replied knowledgeably. "They were similar to the step pyramids but steeper and with a staircase at the front."

"Can you please help me build a ziggy-rat?" Daniel requested. He had a pyramid for Egypt and now he wanted to have a proper ruin for the Mayan part because the archaeologists - tiny figures that had come with the train set - couldn't excavate a giant-sized bowl; that would just be silly.

Nick smiled. "Certainly." This would be interesting.

*******************

Sam smiled at Pete, who sat opposite her at O'Malley's Bar and Grill. After that talk with Janet about not waiting around for Jack, Sam had taken her friend's advice and gone on a blind date with Pete Shanahan. To her surprise, she had enjoyed it a lot despite not having much in common - she was an astrophysicist, he was a policeman - and tonight was their third date. He was eager to please, which didn't annoy her too much, and he had a great sense of humour. And, of course, he was quite cute too. So it wasn't any hardship to date him and, in the privacy of her own mind, wonder what their life would be like if the relationship worked out.

She had just started eating when she saw a familiar figure walk across her line of sight. Sam focused on the figure and saw that it was Jack. With a woman who bore a few similarities herself. A bolt of jealousy shot through her; if she hadn't been so slow in coming to Jack's attention, that could have been her.

Then she looked back at Pete and the jealousy faded. Pete was a great guy, and there wasn't the risky business of dating someone she worked with. And with him, she wouldn't have to be the astrophysicist, she could just be herself. That was a very appealing thought.

*******************

A few minutes after Jack had entered O'Malley's with Sara, he had spotted Sam, apparently here on her own date. He automatically sized up the guy she was with and decided that he was a bit on the soft side - although that was probably his military training talking. There was nothing to dislike about him so Jack smiled to himself, silently wished Sam good luck with him, and then turned his attention back to Sara.

"Daniel's picture was so adorable," Sara was saying as they were seated at their table. She had been flattered to receive the drawing from the little boy and was pleased that her effort in creating a 'Daddy' angel had been appreciated.

"He's very happy with the angel," Jack agreed. "He talks to them every day." He would have to put the angels somewhere in Daniel's room after the Christmas tree was put away so that the kid could still talk to them whenever he wanted.

Sara couldn't imagine how hard it would be for such a young child to lose his parents but Daniel seemed as well-adjusted as could be expected. "I think you're doing a wonderful job with him."

Jack smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say to that. "I try." He just hoped he could keep it up for the next fourteen years.

*******************

Daniel and Nick had lots of fun with the train set. They managed to build a reasonable facsimile of a ziggurat - which looked very similar to the pyramid - and therefore the tiny archaeologists could explore two different 'ruins' to their hearts content. Daniel also taught his grandfather how to make chocolate milk, which they both enjoyed.

When it was time for bed, Daniel snuggled down in his sleeping bag and eagerly listened to his grandfather reading him first a story from the Native American Mythology book, then telling the story about the crystal skull again. He wanted to stay up and hear another story but his eyes disagreed and soon he was fast asleep.

*******************

The rest of the evening went very well for both couples. Sam and Pete went to a movie after dinner, while Jack and Sara went back to her place for some 'getting to know each other' time.

After awhile though, Jack pulled back. They hadn't progressed any further than a lot of heavy kissing, which he was thoroughly enjoying, but he had just realised something. He really liked Sara - a lot more than any of his previous girlfriends. And he wanted to keep her around for a long time too. So he was going to do something he didn't normally do. "Sara."

"What is it?" Sara didn't know why Jack had stopped kissing her but that, plus him saying her name, didn't bode well.

Jack took a deep breath and said, "Much as I would like to keep going, I think we should wait."

Sara was confused; that wasn't what she normally heard from guys. "What? Why?"

"Because I… because I like you too much to mess this up with sex," Jack continued in a rush. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I am. I want to take things slow."

"O-kay." Sara could understand that. "Is this to do with Daniel?"

Jack couldn't look at Sara as he was talking; it was too embarrassing. "A little. But it's also to do with me. My… I don't want to lose anyone else I care about and that's what always happens with women I have sex too soon with."

Sara smiled; that was so sweet. Frustrating - and she had no doubt that it would be the same for him too - but sweet that Jack cared for her enough not to want to lose her so soon. "I like you a lot too," she stated, kissing his cheek. "And I can wait."

"Sweet," Jack said, unknowingly echoing Sara's thoughts but using the word in a different context. This would be different territory for him but hopefully, well worth it in the long run.

*******************

**Sunday, 28th December**

Jack had got back just before midnight and by that time, Nick had already gone to bed so they hadn't spoken. Jack had gone into the bedroom to kiss Daniel goodnight though, careful not to disturb his grandfather.

Now, back in his own bed after a week in Daniel's room, Jack was woken rather late but laughter coming from the living room. He lazily turned over and looked at the clock: nearly eight in the morning. He hadn't slept that late for a while, and he was surprised that Daniel hadn't woken him earlier. Maybe Nick hadn't let him, which was something to be grateful for.

Jack slowly got up, and dressed before heading out to see what the commotion was about. "Morning," he said as he surveyed the sight before him. Crayons and scraps of paper littered the living room table and floor, and the reason for that was apparent when he saw Daniel. His brother was wearing some sort of headdress, the kind Jack used to have when playing Cowboys and Indians. "What are you guys doing?"

Daniel's eyes lit up. "Jack!" He ran over to give his brother a hug. "I've been waiting _forever_ for you to wake up! I wanted to wake you up but Grandpa Nick said that I shouldn't because you'd stayed up late last night and you needed to sleep so we had to be quiet, and then he got me breakfast and then he teached me how to make a Mayan cerem… Grandpa, what's the word?"

"Ceremonial headdress," Nick supplied. It had been such a long time since he had been responsible for a small child and he was pleased that he had managed to not only get Daniel to bed the previous night but get him breakfast this morning.

"So Grandpa drawed the feathers and things, and I coloured them in, and then he cutted them out and stuck them together, and now I'm the chief of the Mayans!" Daniel announced happily. "And last night we made a ziggy-rat that the Mayans used for 'portant things and for looking at the stars and stuff."

"Wow, it sounds like you've been having lots of fun," Jack commented, hiding the twinge of jealousy. Nick had never done anything like that with him.

"Yep, lots and lots," Daniel agreed. He held up his arms and when Jack lifted him up, snuggled against his big brother. Although he had liked spending time with his grandfather and other people, it was always nice when Jack came home. "Can we ride my bike 'fore Grandpa goes home?"

"Sure. Give me half an hour to get ready," Jack said but didn't put Daniel down, wanting to hold onto him a little while longer. There was something to be said for the joy of waking up to an affectionate moment like this, and he realised that he wanted much more of them - with Daniel, with a wife, and with children of his own. He wanted a family.

"Okay." Daniel hugged Jack for a few more moments and then wriggled out of his brother's arms. He had some more playing to do.

*******************

Just over thirty minutes later, everyone was rugged up enough to venture out into the cold. Daniel had his new helmet on, as well as the elbow and knees pads that he had inherited from his cousins. On the footpath in front of the house, he got on the bike and looked at Jack. "What do I do now?"

"Put your feet on the pedals and push them forward," Jack instructed. He was going to stick close by just in case Daniel got into trouble, although with the training wheels, he would be less likely to fall over.

With a look of concentration, Daniel followed Jack's instructions and to his surprise, the bicycle moved forward. Soon, he was riding along the footpath quickly, Jack having to jog to keep up. When he reached the corner, he had a moment of panic because he didn't know how to make it stop but then Jack grabbed the handlebars and made the bicycle stop.

"I guess I should have mentioned how to stop before we started, hey?" Jack stated, relieved that Daniel hadn't gone too fast. He gave Daniel a quick explanation about how to stop and then the little boy was able to ride back to the house where Nick was waiting.

"Look, Grandpa, I can ride the bike!" Daniel enthused as he drew close to Nick. He was so proud of himself for doing another new thing. In his time with Jack so far, he had learnt how to skate, sled, swing on the swings, slide down the slide, and now he could ride a bike. They were lots of new adventures that he hadn't learnt about on the dig sites.

"So you can," Nick observed. He tried thinking back to when Claire had been young but he couldn't remember her learning to ride. Most likely, he hadn't been there. Same with Jack; at that time, Nick had been overseas a lot on various digs and hadn't seen much of his grandson at all. This would be a chance to make up for that.

Daniel spent the next thirty minutes riding back and forth along the footpath, really enjoying this new activity. He fell off once, trying to turn and stop at the same time, but Jack quickly inspected him for ouchies, kissed the sore bits better, and then told him to get back on the horse.

Daniel looked at his brother; what was he thinking? "It's a bike, Jack, it's not a horse."

"Sorry, my mistake," Jack said with a grin.

It started to rain not long after that, so everyone headed back inside. Daniel showed his grandfather the skating and sledding videos, and then set about drawing some pictures for Nick to put up in his new home.

And when it came time for Nick to go home, Daniel was okay about that because he knew that his grandfather's home wasn't far away and therefore there was less chance of him becoming an angel on the way there.

Jack stood on the footpath, Daniel seated on one hip, and shook Nick's hand - the first time he had ever done so. "Thanks for looking after Daniel," he said a little hesitantly.

"It was no trouble," Nick replied, fighting down the emotion at the simple gesture. For Jack to offer a handshake, it meant that he was definitely on the road to forgiving him. Nick resolved not to let anything get in the way of this new relationship with his oldest grandson. "And you are welcome to come to my home whenever you like."

"Tomorrow?" Daniel asked brightly.

"We'll see," Jack stated, not making any commitments. He would see how things continued to progress first. "Take care."

"You too."

Jack helped Nick into the cab and then watched it drive away. How his life had changed in the past month or so, and he supposed it was for the better.

Dragging his thoughts back to the little boy in his arms, he said, "Well, I think it's time we had lunch, don't you?"

Daniel nodded his head enthusiastically. "We need to have fudge," he ordered seriously.

"We do indeed." Jack put Daniel on the ground and they headed back into the house. Time to get back to the mundane part of family life.


	58. Of Stars and Forgiveness

**I'm sorry for the long wait for this part - should I mention that I hated writing it?? Not only did it not want to get written, but RL kept conspiring to prevent from doing so. I had two weekends in a row where I hardly got on the computer due to visitors or looking after my little nephew when his parents got sick. **

**But it's finally done and hopefully, it's good! I hope the ending isn't too rushed but I wanted to get this done so that I can get onto the final two parts, which should be done - RL not withstanding - fairly quickly.**

**Oh, and regarding the zine that this story will eventually become, it looks like it will be in all three formats (book, CD and download) but from two different places. I will give you more details in the next chapter, hopefully!**

**Thank you all for sticking with this story :)**

**Part 58 - Of Stars and Forgiveness**

**Wednesday, 31****st**** December**

Daniel, all rugged up in his warm blanket and seated on Jack's lap, peered through the telescope at the stars. "I can't see Mommy and Daddy," he complained. Daniel drew back and looked up at the sky. "Where are they, Jack?"

"They're up there somewhere," Jack replied. He looked around for two brightly twinkling stars and saw some over to the right. "Look, do you think that's them?" he asked, pointing in that direction.

"Yep! Jack, quick, point the 'scope that way!" Daniel ordered, eager to get a closer look.

Jack did so and peered through the lens to make sure that the telescope was aimed right at the stars. "There you go."

"My turn, my turn!" Daniel looked long and hard at the stars. He couldn't make out any angel shapes in the stars but that didn't worry him. "They're in 'sguise, Jack, 'cos I can only see the twinkly stuff."

"Obviously." Jack decided that Daniel didn't need to know about what stars truly were until he was much, much older. "See the other little stars nearby - they make up the constellation Leo. It's supposed to look like a sleeping lion."

Daniel stared intently at the stars, trying to see if it did indeed look like a lion. Then he shook his head. "I don't think it looks like a lion."

"Me either," Jack agreed. "But the ancient astronomers must have thought it did. Hey, have you heard of the zodiac?" he said as a thought struck him.

"Uh-uh," Daniel said, shaking his head.

"Well, astronomers used to believe that the constellation people were born under shaped their life and guided them," Jack explained. "You, being born in July, are a Cancer, which is a crab, whereas I'm a Capricorn, a goat."

Daniel giggled at that. "You're a goat!"

"For the sake of this discussion, yes." Jack couldn't help grinning himself. "Anyway, Mom… was a Leo." The coincidence of this struck him as weird. When he had pointed out those two stars, he hadn't immediately realised what constellation it was.

"Wow," Daniel said in a hushed voice. That made perfect sense to him. Now he would know exactly where to look for his parents every night that he could.

"Yeah." Out of all the stars to pick… Deep down inside, a tiny part of Jack wondered if he had somehow been influenced to choose those stars; the rest of him dismissed it as fanciful thinking. He had to remember there was no such thing as angels.

*******************

**Thursday, 1****st**** January, 2004**

"Why are we going to Grandma and Grandpa's?" Daniel queried as Jack drove the car towards Denver. He had only said goodbye to his grandparents a few days ago and now they were going to visit them.

"Because they have a visitor that they want me to see," Jack stated, no hint of his dislike of the visitor seeping through into his voice. When Iris had called the night before and told him that John would be visiting them, Jack had wanted to hang up because he knew what would be coming next. Sure enough, Iris had asked that he come to see John and clear the air between them, so to speak. He really hadn't wanted to - he had said all he needed to up at the cabin - but Iris had persisted so in the end, Jack had given in. He had been going to leave Daniel at Nick's for the day but his grandmother had insisted that he bring his brother along; perhaps so that the talking wouldn't get out of hand.

//_"He doesn't need to see Daniel," Jack stated firmly, stubborn on this point. "He's in no way related to him."_

_[Daniel is Claire's son,] Iris pointed out, [and is the last reminder John has of her. You look much like your father but Daniel… It is John's way of seeing Claire for the last time.]_

_Jack was silent for a few moments at the reminder that his father was dying. "We won't be staying long."_

_[That will be fine,] Iris agreed. [But Jack… please try to remember that your father is only human. He made many mistakes when he was young, as everyone does.]_

"_Not everyone tries to beat their family to death," Jack countered. "I'm not going to forgive him."_

_There was a small pause before Iris continued. [Then at least to listen to him. For our sake.]_

"_For your sake, not his," Jack agreed. There was nothing his father could say to make things right again._//

"Who is it?" Daniel wanted to know as Khufu and Thoth bounced on his lap. He had brought two of his toys along for the trip but had left the hippo at home since it was only a day trip.

Jack hesitated before answering, "My father."

Daniel was surprised. "You have a daddy? Why didn't he come for Christmas like Grandpa Nick did?"

"Because he has a new family that he has to spend Christmas with," Jack replied. He didn't resent his father getting married again - after all, that would be hypocritical since Claire had remarried too - but he wasn't sure he wanted to meet his new step-mother and step-siblings, whose names he didn't even know.

Daniel thought about that for a minute. "Jack?"

"Yes?"

"How come we have different daddies?"

Oh, this was so not a talk he wanted to get into but he couldn't think of how to distract Daniel from pursuing it. Maybe if he gave the simplest answer possible, Daniel would be satisfied. "Well, Mom married my father first and had me but after a while, they decided not to be married any more. Then she met your dad and they married, and then you were born."

There was more silence as Daniel thought through that concept. He hadn't really thought about his mommy having married two people; all he had thought about Jack was that he was Mommy's son. "So did your daddy marry someone else after he and Mommy not-married each other?"

That was an interesting term for divorce, Jack thought. "Yes. And Dad's new wife had two children already, which means they're my brothers or sisters by marriage."

That alarmed Daniel, and made him somewhat possessive. "You were _my_ brother first, Jack, not theirs. They can't come and stay with us."

"Trust me, they won't want to and I don't want them to either," Jack replied, not getting into the fact that they could have actually become part of the family before Daniel was born. They might be nice people for all he knew but it was probably a bit too late to be welcoming them into the family. "You're the only brother I want to live with me." Despite the fact that he hadn't really known Daniel either until only five weeks ago.

Daniel puffed out his chest with pride. Jack wanted _him_, not anyone else. That made him feel really special. "Are they my brothers and sisters too?" he then wanted to know.

"No, because they're on my father's side, which means they're not related to you," Jack tried to explain.

Daniel scratched his head, just like he had seen his father do when puzzled. "It's very confusing, Jack," he complained. "Does that mean that Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom aren't 'lated to me too? Do I have to stop calling them Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Ah, that's different," Jack said. "Because our Mom was once married to my father, that means that she became part of the family, and because you're related to Mom, then Grandma and Grandpa are related to you too." That explanation should hold until Daniel understood family relationships better, Jack decided.

"Yay!" Daniel hadn't wanted not to be related to his new grandparents. But he would reserve judgement on these new people until after he met them.

*******************

They arrived before John and his new family, which was a great relief to Jack. It meant that he was able to find out more about his step-family.

While Daniel eagerly talked to Tom about looking at the stars, Jack followed his grandmother into the kitchen. "So… who's coming besides John?" Like with Nick, he wasn't going to call his father by a name he didn't deserve and hadn't earned.

"Tamsin, that's his wife, and both her children. Skye is sixteen, and Nate is fourteen," Iris explained as she started putting together a plate of snacks. "Tamsin is ten years younger than John, from what I understand, and is a nurse. That's how they met, apparently."

"What, someone finally give him a taste of his own medicine?" Jack asked bitterly, not really expecting an answer.

"No, actually, he had been hit by a car," Iris replied in a voice that chastised Jack for his tone.

Heeding the warning, Jack bit back the comment that his father had probably been too drunk to see the car.

"Tamsin has been good for John," Iris continued. "She knew how to handle him and that gave him a second chance." She was so pleased about that, although she wished that John had told them earlier about his re-marriage so they could have welcomed his new family. Meeting for the first time, knowing that John would soon die, really wasn't the best of circumstances.

"Are you actually forgiving him, Grandma?" Jack said incredulously. "Might I remind you that he nearly killed me?"

Iris put a hand on Jack's arm to calm him, knowing that the young man still carried the hurt from that attack. "I remember that very well, Jack, but I have also seen how remorseful he is about his behaviour. You'll understand when you have children that it is hard to completely condemn them, even when they do something terrible."

Jack found that he couldn't say anything to that, not without insulting Iris, so he looked away. He felt somewhat betrayed that his grandmother could even think of forgiving John's violence.

Iris sighed; why did she have to be the matriarch of such a stubborn bunch of men? Tom had his moments, and of course John's had been over his alcoholism, which had its roots in teenage rebellion. And Jack, well… Still, she loved them all dearly. "Have you explained to Daniel why you're here today?" she queried, changing the subject.

"Sort of." Jack glanced at his feet and then up at Iris. "I didn't tell him John is dying, just that he's visiting. He doesn't need to know more than that." No way was he going to tell Daniel that another member of the family was going to die.

"I agree." Iris knew how worried Daniel got about angels these days. "And the last thing he needs is for you to argue with your father. It's the last thing any of us need," she added more softly.

"I'm not going to promise anything, Grandma," Jack stated. "But I'll do my best." Much as he didn't even want to be there in the first place.

"Grandma!" An interruption in the form of Daniel burst into the kitchen and wrapped himself around Iris' legs. "Did Jack tell you we saw Mommy and Daddy last night? He showed me the stars with the big 'scope thing and we saw Leo the Lion, and that's where Mommy and Daddy were, and that it was very approbritate--"

"Appropriate," Jack automatically corrected.

"--that they were there 'cos when Mommy was born, she was a lion, 'cept not a real lion, right, Jack?" Daniel continued without missing a beat.

"Right," Jack agreed. "Mom's star sign was Leo, yours is Cancer and mine is--"

"A goat!" Daniel said with a laugh; he still found that funny. "What's yours, Grandma?"

Iris smiled at the enthusiasm. "Libra, which is shown by a set of scales."

Daniel scrunched up his face in puzzlement. "Fish scales?" That seemed like a funny picture to have.

Chuckling, Iris replied, "No, measuring scales. To balance things and see how much they weigh."

"Oooh," Daniel said in understanding, nodding his head vigorously. "Like the Ancient Egyptian myth about Maat and how she would weigh people's hearts after they died and if the heart was lighter than the feather, then the people were good." He stopped suddenly and looked over at Jack; he didn't like the idea of his parents losing their hearts before becoming angels. "That story's not true, is it, Jack? It's just made up?"

"That's right," Jack stated. "The Egyptians loved to make up myths, didn't they?"

"Uh-huh. They made up lots and lots," Daniel agreed, reassured. "Daddy says that if the pyramids are older than everyone says, then the myths might be about the peoples who were around before the Egyptians, and some bits might be true and other bits just made up to make other people think they were gods when they weren't."

"That sounds reasonable," Iris commented.

"Mommy says it's bad to pretend to be a god," Daniel continued, on a roll now that he was imparting knowledge. "The pharaohs did that a lot, pretending to be the children of gods, like Rameses came from Ra, and Akenaten came from Aten-Ra, 'cos he changed his name 'cos he didn't like Amun, then his son changed his name back to Tutankhamen."

Jack shook his head slightly; the words that Daniel could pronounce correctly never ceased to amaze him. By the sounds of it, he had learnt all his pharaohs and gods the right way but kept dropping letters from words like 'because'.

"Some of the people didn't like the pharaohs pretending to be gods but I think they did it so they could be the boss of everyone," Daniel theorised.

The other two were saved from saying anything to that by the doorbell. Jack lifted Daniel into his arms and followed Iris out of the kitchen but instead of going to the front door, he went into the living room where Tom was waiting.

John greeted his mother with a smile when she opened the door. "I hope we're not too early," he said.

"Not at all," Iris replied, smiling back at her son. He looked thinner than he had a few weeks ago, which worried Iris. "And this must be Tamsin," she added, looking at the younger woman standing next to John. Tamsin was almost the same height as her husband, and her figure well-rounded. Behind her were the two teenagers, Skye as tall as her mother, and Nate a good head shorter.

"Hello," Tamsin greeted Iris, smiling at the mother-in-law she had never met before. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise. Won't you come in?" Iris guided them inside into the living room. "This is Tom--" she pointed to her husband, who waved, "--and Jack, and Daniel, Claire's son."

"Hi," Jack said, pointedly ignoring his father for the moment. He jiggled Daniel in a reminder to speak up.

"Hello, Jack's Daddy and Mrs. Jack's Daddy," Daniel greeted obediently, causing a few smiles with his term of address.

Tamsin adored the little boy immediately. "Hello, Daniel. You can call me Tamsin. And these are my children, Skye and Nate."

The teenagers dutifully said hello but didn't come forward any further.

Daniel clung a little more possessively to Jack now that he saw his competition. Even though Jack had already said they weren't coming to live with them, Daniel wouldn't be completely satisfied about that until everyone had gone home to their proper houses.

John's heart skipped a beat as he looked at Daniel. The little boy had so much of Claire in him that it was almost painful to see. "Hello, Daniel. You can call me John," he invited.

"Actually, you can call him Mr. O'Neill," Jack corrected straight away; he was not going to allow Daniel to be on friendly terms with the man.

John bit back a sigh; this was not going to be an easy visit.

Iris invited everyone to sit down. She sat on the couch next to John and Tamsin, while Jack - still holding Daniel - took her chair. Tom was in his usual chair anyway, and the teenagers sat on the floor near their mother. Getting the conversation going, Iris asked about Christmas, and talk flowed from there. Jack contributed little to the conversation but Daniel enthusiastically related many stories when questions were directed towards him.

After an hour, when Daniel started showing signs of restlessness, Iris suggested that he show Skye and Nate the trains, which the little boy was keen to do. Once the youngsters had left, the adults were able to talk more freely.

A silence fell over the room. No-one knew quite what to say. A minute passed before Tamsin ventured, "So, Jack, your grandmother tells me that you're a Captain in the Air Force."

"That's right." Jack's answer didn't have any edge to it; he liked Tamsin so far.

"What got you interested in planes?"

"Normal childhood stuff," Jack replied, then he added, "and the sense of being free, I suppose. But I didn't want to just do commercial flying, I wanted to fly fast."

Tamsin nodded, understanding what he meant; she had done sky-diving for similar reasons.

"And you wanted to get away from me," John stated sadly, looking Jack in the eye for the first time since arriving.

Jack shrugged. "You weren't around when I decided, so that didn't really have anything to do with it." He didn't add that it had been while in hospital from John's attack that he had seen some jets on television and he had decided then that he wanted to fly.

Chastened, John glanced away, glad of his wife's support through their joined hands.

"I know it might not be my place to say anything," Tamsin said, "but John really regrets what he did."

"I was really stupid," John continued, not giving Jack a chance to say a word. "I was young, thought I could handle the booze, which I couldn't. Every little thing was magnified, which in turn made me drink more. Claire did her best but because I didn't believe anything was wrong, I wouldn't let her help. And then at the cabin… I shouldn't have been drinking but by that time, I couldn't cope without it. I am so sorry for hurting you, Jack. If I could do things over again, I would but since that's not possible, you'll just have to settle for an apology. I know it's a cliché, a dying man regretting the mistakes he made with his life, but I've regretted my stupidity since the day you and Claire left. I wish I had been strong enough to beat the drink earlier and been more involved in your life but…" he trailed off as the lump in his throat made it difficult to speak.

"I used to wish that too," Jack stated, trying not to show that his father's speech had affected him slightly. It sounded as though John was actually genuine in his regret and although Jack had hardened his heart against his father years ago, it was difficult to keep that up. "But Mom and I got along fine on our own."

John accepted the rebuke with a solemn expression; his hopes of Jack forgiving him were quickly disappearing with every word the younger man spoke. "I'm glad Claire was able to find someone to remarry. I take it that Melburn was a good man?"

"Mom loved him and he didn't harm her in any way, so yes, he was a good man," Jack replied, ignoring the fact that he hadn't really known Melburn well. But somehow, he didn't think that Daniel would be such a loving kid if Melburn had been a violent father.

"Jack," Iris warned; that had been uncalled for.

He gave his grandmother an apologetic look but didn't take back his words. "I'm happy that you've been able to turn your life around but I can't forgive you for what you did. I was only twelve years old - you were supposed to protect me, not be the one I needed to be protected from."

"That's why you joined the Air Force rather than just learnt to fly," John surmised quietly though everyone could hear him. "You wanted to protect those who couldn't protect themselves."

"Don't try to analyse me," Jack rebuked, not wanting to admit that deep down, that had actually been one of his reasons. "I joined because I wanted to fly fast jets. Not everything I've done in the past sixteen years has to do with you."

"That's enough, Jack," Tom intervened, seeing how much his son was hurting. "John has apologised."

Jack held his tongue while deciding what to do next. If he accepted the apology, then he would be letting his father get away with destroying his childhood. If he didn't, if he held onto his anger, then wouldn't he be letting it ruin his adult life? He couldn't win. "I need some time," he stated before walking out, not allowing anyone the chance to object.

John stared after his son, a small measure of hope returning. From the conversation, he knew that Jack would have had no trouble in stating his refusal of the apology if he was so minded therefore he might be changing his mind. Or he could just be figuring out how to avoid disappointing Iris and Tom.

Outside, sitting on the back steps, Jack stared at the grass while he thought. He had carried a grudge against his father for sixteen years, even if he didn't consciously acknowledge it most of the time. His whole outlook on life had changed when he was twelve and it _had_ affected how he lived his life. He'd had to become 'the man of the house', at least until Melburn had whisked Claire away, and he had also been more aware of the violence in the world at an earlier age than his friends. He had been forced to grow up early and there were times that he resented that.

Could he forgive John for that? _Should _he forgive John for that? Sure, it would ease his father's last days if he did but that wasn't a good enough reason on it's own. And he couldn't just say the words; he was sure that a lie would be detected. If he was going to forgive John, it would have to be sincere.

Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. He hated being an adult sometimes because he had to face the consequences of any action that he took. Daniel had it easy in that respect; there was no shades of grey in his world, everything was simple. Jack, however, knew that there were many layers of hurt and that they could go very deep. That's what made this so hard to forgive.

Inside, Daniel ran into the living room, eager to show Jack one of the trains that was just like his. He stopped abruptly when he didn't see Jack there and immediately put his thumb in his mouth. "Where's Jack?"

"I think he's out the back," Iris told him.

Daniel spun around and headed for the back door. He opened it and went out, the train still clutched in his little hand. "Jack, why are you out here?"

"I'm thinking," Jack replied. He shifted slightly as Daniel climbed onto his lap. "What are you doing out here?"

"Look!" Daniel held the train up. "This one's like mine!"

"So it is." Jack couldn't muster up a more enthusiastic response than that.

Daniel peered at Jack's solemn face. "Are you sad? You shouldn't be sad 'cos your Daddy's here."

Jack almost snorted at that but reminded himself that Daniel didn't know what had occurred in the past. Then what Daniel said actually sank in. He actually still had a father, albeit not for long. Daniel would never see his father again.

Jack hugged Daniel to him, feeling somewhat like an idiot. "You're right, kiddo, I shouldn't be sad." At least he'd had twelve years with John and had lots of good memories, whereas Daniel - only having had four with Melburn - would eventually forget all of his. Remembering about the videos and computer discs in one of the storage boxes, Jack decided he would have to do something with them so that Daniel would never forget his parents.

Daniel hugged Jack then climbed off him. "I have to go back and play now," he stated. "I'm teaching Skye and Nate all about Egypt."

"Have fun," Jack said as Daniel disappeared back into the house. He should go back as well and tell John that he was forgiven. Jack would never forget what had happened but it was pointless holding onto any residual anger when he was living with a reminder that things could have been worse: he might have lost his parents completely.

He walked quietly back to the living room and heard some stilted conversation. No-one sounded terribly happy and he knew that was his fault. His grandparents wanted closure, and John didn't want to die knowing that Jack still hated him. A part of him still thought that he shouldn't let John off this easily, and two months ago, that part would have won out. But since then, Daniel had come into his life.

Jack took a deep breath and then entered the room. All conversation stopped and four pairs of eyes focused on him, however he kept his gaze on John. "I forgive you. I won't ever forget it because it reminds me never to let the same thing happen to me, but I know you're sorry for it and therefore… I forgive you." The look of relief and gratitude on his father's face made speaking the difficult words worthwhile.

John felt a weight lift off his heart. He wasn't going to question why Jack had changed his mind, he was just pleased that it had. "Thank you," he said quietly. "That means a lot to me."

"Yes, well…" Jack didn't know what to say next.

When the silence started to stretch out, Tamsin spoke up and asked, "So, Jack, do you enjoy sports?"

Breathing a sigh of relief at the change of topic, Jack sat down in the chair he had vacated earlier and answered the question. The conversation flowed on from there.

*******************

By the time John and his family left several hours later, everyone was in a better mood. Conversation had become less stilted, and there was even much laughter. And Jack had found that his father wasn't such a bad man, with a sense of humour similar to his own. All in all, it had ended up a better day than any of the adults had expected.

Daniel had had lots of fun with Skye and Nate but he was pleased when they went home and he got to stay with Jack. He had also got a new toy - a stuffed dog called Diggs, which he thought was hilarious. It was white, with brown floppy ears and a couple of large brown spots, and came with the poem:

"I can't find my bone anywhere.

Did I bury it here or there?

I think a map would help a lot

Then I'd use X to mark the spot!"

Daniel knew enough about buried treasure to appreciate the last line and all the way home in the car, he told Jack all about the map he was going to draw to help Diggs find his bone.

Before they left, Iris and Tom thanked Jack for forgiving his father, and they asked what made him change his mind. Jack didn't say anything, just glanced at Daniel, and then kissed his grandmother goodbye; he didn't want to have any conversation about it in front of his little brother.

What was left of the day by the time they got home, Jack spent preparing dinner while Daniel drew his map. Then afterwards, it was bath time followed by story time, and Diggs finally joined the rest of the stuffed toys on Daniel's bookshelf, the new map under one paw.

When Daniel was asleep, Jack went back to the living room, turned the television on, and tried not to think about the events of the day.


	59. At Home & The Alternate Reality

Look, I can get a part out in under a month! This was intended to be finished and posted on Saturday but you can blame Torchwood (and it's massive shock) and a 24-hour bug on Sunday for the slight delay. It's shorter than most other chapters but the next one should be long - I hope - and should be finished before the end of July.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story for the past four years - your support has been very, very appreciated!! And thank you to all the newcomers who have sent feedback or favourited my story!

For those interested in buying the zine of this story, which will have pictures, manips, and some extra or extended scenes, please keep an eye on my profile page here at or my lj at: .com/

**Part 59 - At Home/The Alternate Reality**

**Sunday, 18th January**

It was a nice day, the sun providing a little bit of warmth, so Daniel was out in the back yard, digging with his new toy, Diggs. The two of them had already had a few adventures with the other toys, unearthing Ancient Egyptian artifacts in the house. Now, it was time to excavate some buried treasure with his special tools.

Jack sat on the back steps and watched Daniel follow the map that the little boy had meticulously drawn the previous day - with some help. Daniel had been very busy with his crayons actually, drawing a birthday card for Jack that had the two of them on it and lots of balloons; Daniel had discovered from Cassie's party in December that balloons went with birthdays like candy canes and stars went with Christmas. They had bought a chocolate ice-cream cake, which had been eagerly devoured, and Jack had received several phone calls from relatives, including a brief one from his father. That had surprised him, as had the sadness he felt at hearing the shaky voice; John had deteriorated further since New Year's Day. Soon, he would be gone.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, Jack smiled as Daniel instructed Diggs on the correct way to dig up treasure. He was finding that he could sit and watch his little brother's antics for hours - it was weird the way his life had changed in the past two months. Normally, he couldn't sit and do nothing unless he was fishing but he was gradually learning to relax in other ways now. He enjoyed life more.

"Jack, look!" Daniel came running over, Diggs in one hand and a silver American dollar in the other hand. "Look what we found! We really found treasure!" He proudly showed his brother the coin.

"You did too, well done," Jack congratulated him. He had buried that coin for Daniel to find after the boy had gone to bed the previous night. Pulling Daniel onto his lap, he gave his brother a hug. "You're really good with those tools."

"That's 'cos Mommy and Daddy teached me properly," Daniel replied. "Do you want me to teach you?" he offered.

About to refuse, Jack suddenly changed his mind. "Sure, why not?" Maybe by learning about excavating from Daniel, he would learn a little about his mother's life too.

Half an hour later, after Daniel had reburied the coin and then had taught Jack to slowly excavate it, it started to rain so they went inside. A few minutes after that, the doorbell rang. When Jack answered it, he found Lou on his doorstep. "Hey. What's up?"

"Just this." Lou held up a DVD case. "I finished it last night."

"Thanks. Come on in," Jack invited as he took the DVD from Lou. He had given his friend, who was good with computers, the videos of Daniel's family with instructions to turn it into something the little boy could remember his parents by. "How did it go?"

"Really good," Lou replied as Daniel came running over, his arms high in a silent demand to be picked up. "What have you been up to?"

Daniel settled into Lou's arms, comfortable with the man after having him babysit a few more times since Christmas. As he launched into a recitation of the most recent events, Jack took the opportunity to put the DVD in the player and then he turned the television on. The first image on the screen, Claire holding baby Daniel in the hospital, took his breath his away. Her smile - he had forgotten what his mother's smile had been like, how it had always made him feel happy. He felt his lips curve in a smile to match; she had been a wonderful mother.

"Ooh!" Daniel exclaimed, seeing what was on the television. "That's me and Mommy!" he pointed out to Lou, unaware that the latter had seen it all while making the DVD. He wriggled his way out of Lou's arms and ran over to sit on the couch, eager to watch the movie.

"And on that note," Lou said with an affectionate smile, "I'd better be off. Enjoy."

Daniel didn't look away from the television as he said, "Bye, Lou!"

"Thanks again," Jack stated as he walked Lou to the door. "Daniel's going to love it."

"It was no problem." Lou knew he was more skilled with computers than Jack was, which was why he had been asked in the first place.

"Jack! Come and look at me!" Daniel called out, wanting his brother to share the memories. When Jack came back and sat beside him, Daniel snuggled close, a little bit sad but happy at the same time. He missed his parents but he had adapted to a new life with Jack. He didn't want anything to happen that might threaten that.

**Tuesday, 20th January**

**The Alternate Universe (with an SG-1)**

Doctor Daniel Jackson couldn't believe they finally had Jack back. It had taken two months, give or take a few days, until the situation had become desperate and Thor had downloaded the Ancient knowledge from Jack's brain, thus saving Jack's life. And now they had just seen a team head off to another galaxy where, hopefully, Atlantis lay waiting for them.

And Daniel was stuck on Earth.

He didn't really mind too much... okay, so the chance to go to another galaxy and study the Ancients had really appealed to him because who knew what was out there waiting to be discovered? But on the other hand, Jack needed him here on Earth, and Daniel couldn't begrudge his friend that. Well, not after really considering it anyway.

Daniel looked over the translations he'd brought back from the Antarctic base. Most of the writings he had already done but there were still a few that eluded him, and that was what he was planning on concentrating on for the foreseeable future. Jack might not like it - in fact, Daniel was expecting him at any moment - but that was the linguist's plan. He had the feeling that what he would uncover would be very important...

"Jack, you're not going to believe it!"

The newly appointed general looked up from the paperwork on his desk and stared at Daniel. "Good morning to you too," he replied snarkily. He couldn't believe how much paperwork was involved with running the SGC, something he had always tried to avoid doing.

Daniel ignored the unsubtle rebuke and put his translations down in front of Jack. "I know where the Ancients went," he announced eagerly.

"So do I, Daniel. After all, we did just send a team through there yesterday," Jack said slowly, wondering whether the linguist had had too much coffee this morning.

"No, I mean - not all of them left Earth," Daniel told him, sitting down and pointing to a passage that he had translated. "Or at least, they might have when they got there, I don't know, but--"

"Daniel!" Jack just wanted to hear the short version.

"Right." Daniel paused for dramatic effect. "There's a Quantum Mirror in Antarctica."

Jack just stared at his best friend, so hoping that what Daniel said wasn't true. "One of those dial-up-your-own-universe things?"

"Kind of." Daniel jabbed at the passage again. "This says that a group of Ancients decided not to leave Earth and instead, built a doorway between here and an alternate reality."

"Does it say why?" Jack asked, putting a little sarcastic twist on the last word.

Daniel shook his head. "Only a vague reference to escaping the plague." Which, he thought, wasn't a very good reason for going to another timeline and changing it. Of course, he didn't know whether the influx of Ancients into the alternate universe would have changed it much at all but it was a reasonable assumption. "I'd like to go back to Antarctica and check it out."

"Check it out, as in…?" Jack hoped Daniel didn't want to actually go through to the other reality because the last time hadn't exactly been fun.

"Find it, for starters, and maybe visit the other side to see if there's any indication of what happened to the Ancients once they went through," Daniel replied, staring at Jack as if that would help the decision.

Raising his eyebrows, Jack stared back at the archaeologist; he wasn't going to give in easily. "Do we need to know what happened to them?"

Daniel bit back a sigh; Jack never made things easy. "What if they're like the other realities we've seen that need help with their program?"

"You mean, what if the Goa'uld have already overtaken their world?" Jack argued mildly. "Or if they haven't unburied the Stargate?" There were many possibilities as to how an alternate reality might turn out.

"So we send a MALP through first," Daniel rebutted, determined to win the discussion. "Jack, this could be a unique opportunity to visit an alternate reality on our own terms. Who knows, they might even have more technology than us and be willing to share?"

Jack sighed; he knew this was an argument he wasn't going to win. "Let me think it over." Maybe it could buy him some time to think of a reason not to go through to another reality.

**Wednesday, 21st January**

Daniel knelt on the icy floor as he looked through his backpack, his team-mates standing in a semi-circle around him. The MALP stood nearby, ready to make its journey through the Quantum Mirror to another reality. He had packed a lot of information that he thought another SGC might need and he was quite excited. It would be good going through to a reality that wasn't under attack which, hopefully, this reality wouldn't be. He was really looking forward to talking with himself - if he was at this SGC, that was.

"Come on, Daniel," Jack urged, tapping his foot impatiently. He snuck a sideways glance at the Mirror. It looked like the Mirror that was at Area 51 but it was encased in ice and there was a control panel on one side. The entrance to the room had been covered in ice, which was why no-one had discovered it before now.

"Just a second…" Daniel closed the backpack and hoisted it over his shoulder. "Ready."

Jack turned to newly-promoted LtColonel Carter and nodded. Time to see what was on the other side.


	60. A Whole New World

I did it!!! I finally finished it!! Four years and a few weeks after starting this epic story, I have written the last chapter!!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me over those four years, whether you were there from the start or just recently found the story. Your feedback and encouragement has kept me going through all the writer's block and lack of inspiration, to achieve the longest story I have ever written (somewhere around 186,628 words!).

As I have said in recent chapters, I will now be going through this story, fixing up any mistakes, and adding some extra scenes ready for publication. If you are interested in buying it in either CD or download form, keep an eye on the Ancient's Gate website: .. If you want the print form, go here: .com/

I'm not sure how long it will take to get the story into print but if you want to be kept updated, let me know and I'll put your name on a list and contact you when there are developments. There will be pictures in the publication so that you can see what everyone looks like, and these are already in development.

Once again, thank you and I hope that you enjoy the final chapter!

**Part 60 - A Whole New World **

**Wednesday, 21****st**** January**

In the four weeks since Christmas, Daniel had been very busy. He had played with all his Christmas presents many times, gone to day-care nearly every day, gone skating and sledding several more times, and had even stayed over at Nick's new home (and Jack had come too, which had made it even more fun).

At the moment, he was in his bedroom drawing pictures from the astronomy book Jack had given him for Christmas. He had learnt a lot about the mythology of the stars and today, he'd had the bright idea that he could put the star shapes up on his ceiling so that he could look at them every night. So he had got out his sketchpad - the small one - and started copying the shapes he felt were the most important (Oma had helped him with this) until he had thirty-eight in total. As he had drawn them, he had put them in a circle around him (again, Oma's suggestion).

Jack walked in as Daniel was surveying his handiwork. He had wondered why his little brother had been so quiet, and now he found Daniel sitting in the centre of a circle of strange-looking pictures. "Daniel, what are you doing?"

"I drawed the stars," Daniel replied proudly, thrilled with his accomplishment. "Can we put them up there?" He pointed to the ceiling.

"Uh…" Jack was about to refuse but then he took a good look at the pictures Daniel had drawn. They were familiar - very familiar - and Jack suddenly realised where, outside of astronomy books, he had seen those shapes before. Jack couldn't be sure that all the shapes were there but if he was correct, Daniel had unknowingly drawn the 'Doorway to the Stars'. "Daniel, why did you choose those stars?" he inquired as calmly as he could.

Daniel shrugged, confused as to why Jack wasn't happy. "Oma says they're the most 'portant ones."

Not fully taking in what Daniel had said about Oma, Jack made a spur of the moment decision. "Daniel, you're a genius! Pack these up - I've got something very important to show you."

*******************

Ten minutes later, armed with thirty-eight sheets of paper and his bundled-up genius brother, Jack drove to the Cheyenne Mountain base. Once there, he carried Daniel and the paper quickly down to the twenty-eighth level where the Doorway resided. A bunch of scientists, including Sam Carter, were in the briefing room arguing about something that Jack didn't care to know about. "They're constellations!" he announced.

All eyes in the room turned towards him. Jack strode over to the table and put the sheets of paper on it, spreading them out with one hand. "The answer was there all along - Doorway to the Stars. Those symbols on it are constellations."

Stunned, Sam picked one sheet up and looked at it. Then she turned to the large window that overlooked the stone ring and stared for a long minute. No-one spoke as she compared the constellation to the shapes she could see on the ring until she came across its twin. Finally, she turned back to the others. "How did you figure this out?" she asked Jack. She couldn't believe he had the knowledge for this.

"I didn't. It was Daniel," Jack replied as he set his brother down on the edge of the table. "I found him drawing these not thirty minutes ago."

Everyone stared at Daniel for a few seconds, then started talking at once. Daniel looked up at Jack, more than a little confused. "What did I do?" he asked.

Doctor Robert Rothman, who was standing nearby and whose son was one of Daniel's best friends, explained, "You've just done what no other linguist could do. You've discovered what the Doorway says."

"What doorway?" Daniel was even more confused; the one he could see didn't have any writing on it at all.

"_That_ Doorway," Rothman stated, pointing out the window.

Before Daniel could ask, Jack picked him up and carried him over to the window. Daniel looked at the big grey ring, his nose wrinkled in puzzlement. "That doesn't look like a doorway," he said to Jack, thinking that the grown-ups were very strange.

"That's because it's a special kind of doorway," Jack replied. "Do you want to see it up close?"

Daniel nodded; it was getting very noisy in the room.

Leaving the scientists behind to discuss the new discovery, Jack took Daniel down into the control room first where they found General Hammond heading towards them.

"Captain O'Neill, what is going on?" Hammond questioned, alarmed by the noise he could hear.

"Oh, nothing, sir," Jack said casually. "Daniel here has just solved the writing on the Doorway, that's all."

Hammond looked in astonishment at the four-year-old boy, who hid his face against Jack's neck under the scrutiny. "How did he--?"

"I'd love to explain, sir, but Daniel wants to see what all the fuss is about," Jack interrupted, not wanting to get into long explanations right now. "With your permission, sir?"

Speechless, Hammond could only nod.

In the room that was dominated by the stone ring, Jack put Daniel down on the base of the ramp. Then, taking Daniel's hand, he led the boy up to the huge ring.

Daniel stood there, gazing up at the huge thing, awestruck by how big it was. After about a minute, he bravely let go of Jack's hand and went over to one side. Cautiously, Daniel reached out to touch it. The stone was cold but smooth, and his fingers traced over the constellation he could see. It was so amazing!

Intrigued now, Daniel explored all the constellations he could see. He got Jack to lift him up to see more, and the highest one puzzled him. "That one's not right," he said, pointing it out to Jack.

"Why not?" Jack wanted to know, taking a look at the inverted 'V' with the circle on top.

"It's not a cons-ellation," Daniel explained. He tilted his head sideways to see it better. "It's almost like a pyramid under the sun," he continued, his imagination drawing a complete picture for him.

And if one looked at it that way, Jack thought, it matched the seventh symbol on the coverstone perfectly. "Daniel, you're an absolute genius!" he exclaimed.

"Why?" Daniel still didn't get why this was so important.

"Because you've just done what no-one else could," Jack said, grinning at his little brother. "Let's go back and tell the others what you found." He shifted Daniel to an easier carrying position and headed back up to the briefing room.

They entered to a lively discussion about the six known symbols. Jack gathered that some of the scientists were dismissing the discovery simply because a child had done what they couldn't. Jack felt a swell of pride that it was his little brother who had unknowingly solved the puzzle that the adults had been struggling with for months.

Daniel spotted his drawings on the table and asked, "Jack, can I have my pictures back?"

"You betcha," Jack replied, making his way over to the table and picking them up. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Daniel accepted them happily, more concerned with them than with what was happening around him.

Deciding not to interrupt the scientists, Jack went over to the whiteboard nearby and drew the seventh symbol after the six already written there. Then he stepped back and waited for a reaction.

Doctor Catherine Langford, whose grandfather had discovered the Doorway back in the 1920's, had just stepped into the room as Jack was drawing the symbol. She stepped over to him and observed what was written on the board. "You deciphered it," she said incredulously.

"Actually, Daniel did," Jack stated, making sure his brother got the credit.

"Right under our noses," Catherine mused, still staring at the board. Her lifetime dream was about to be realised and being only forty, she was still young enough to go through the Doorway and explore what was out there. Then what Jack had said sank in and she turned to him. "Who's Daniel?"

"Me!" Daniel exclaimed, hugging his drawings to his chest.

"_This_ is Daniel," Jack stated proudly, inclining his head towards the boy. "My brother."

Catherine looked at the little boy in amazement. "Well, well," she chuckled, thinking of all the time and money that had been spent by professionals on the task. "So, Daniel, how did you work all this out?"

Daniel stared at the old woman for a moment and then said, "I wanted some stars to put above my bed so Oma helped me choose them and then I drawed them."

Jack's eyebrows raised at the mention of Oma, and then he realised that Daniel had said something like that earlier. It seemed that Daniel's imaginary angel friend was going to get some of the credit too.

"Well, I'm very glad you did, Daniel," Catherine stated, giving the cute boy a smile. "Very glad indeed. Sam!" she called to the nearby Lieutenant.

Sam looked over at Catherine and her eyes widened as she saw what was written on the board. "Did you do that?" she queried.

"No, apparently it was Daniel here," Catherine replied. She turned back to Jack. "I don't suppose he can read hieroglyphs as well?" she asked, not expecting an affirmative answer.

Jack grinned with pride. "Actually, ma'am, he can."

"My mommy teached me," Daniel shared. He had continued to practise the hieroglyphs in his alphabet book and so could still remember them.

Sam looked at Catherine, seeing where this was going. "You can't seriously--" Daniel might be a child genius but surely he couldn't translate the coverstone.

"Oh, I can," Catherine stated with a grin. She drew a set of symbols on the board. By this time, everyone in the room had stopped to watch. Catherine pointed to the symbols and said, "Our translators think this says 'Doorway to the Stars'. What do you think?"

"Maybe he'd like a dictionary," scoffed one of the older scientists.

Daniel shook his head. "Don't use Budge. Budge is bad," he stated solemnly, parroting what he had heard his mother say many times. "Mommy knows the proper words and she teached them to me."

A broader smile pulled at Catherine's lips; the boy was so adorable - and accurate too; Budge wasn't the genius everyone thought he had been. "So, Daniel, can you read it?

Studying it for a few moments, Daniel replied, "It says 'Stargate'." He remember both of the symbols that his mommy had taught him.

The same scientist as before still didn't believe it. "He made that up."

"I did not!" Daniel refuted indignantly. "You're just jealous 'cos you can't read it."

There was some muffled laughter and a few agreeing murmurs from the others at this. The scientist in question went red and was about to retort when Catherine held up her hand. "That's enough, Gary. I think Daniel deserves the benefit of the doubt, don't you?"

Gary was saved from replying when a low rumbling sound started up. Then the newly-dubbed Stargate began to spin.

"He was mean," Daniel whispered to Jack as everyone rushed out of the room.

"He was," Jack agreed absently, staying put with his brother. If there was danger about to come through the Stargate, they would be safest up high. However, he moved so that they could see what was happening down below.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked his older brother. The spinning ring fascinated him and he was eager to find out what happened next.

"I'm not exactly sure," Jack responded, his eyes also on the Stargate. He only hoped that it was something good - for everyone's sake.

A MALP came through first, and that confused everyone. Was their first contact going to be with people like themselves? Or with someone who had stolen their technology?

Watching from above, Jack held his breath, hoping that whoever came through was not going to be hostile, especially since Daniel was with him.

After several long minutes, four figures came through the shimmering blue surface of the Stargate. Thirty seconds later, Sam rushed up the stairs to the briefing room. "Captain, General Hammond wants you downstairs immediately."

"Why?" Jack questioned, not wanting to go down until he was sure it was safe.

"You'll see," was all Sam would say before she headed back down again.

Jack briefly looked out the window again and saw a figure that somehow seemed familiar. Then, obeying the order, he headed down into the control room. Once there, Catherine gestured for him to follow Hammond into the Stargate room. Curiously, Jack did so.

And froze at the sight that greeted him.

Hammond looked at the junior officer. "Captain Jack O'Neill - meet _General_ Jack O'Neill."

Staring at his doppelganger - who looked a good twenty years older than him and bore a strong resemblance to his father - Jack commented, "You've got to be kidding me!" This wasn't possible; there was no way this was possible!

"Seven years ago, I would have agreed with you--" General O'Neill started to say before he was interrupted by the man at his side.

"Actually, it's probably closer to six."

"Daniel," the general warned in a tone that implied years of patience.

"I'm just saying," the brown-haired man commented before turning his attention to the boy Jack still held in his arms. "I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson. And you are…?"

Young Daniel's eyes widened. "That's my name!" he exclaimed. Why did this stranger have his name? Although he kind of looked like Mommy, which was even more weird.

"Really?" Jackson had expected the boy to say 'Charlie', given the age of this universe's Jack, but never had he expected that the boy would be himself! There was over thirty years difference in age, for one thing.

"Uh-huh," the young version nodded. "So how come you've got my name?"

General O'Neill smiled in amusement. "Oh, this is going to be an interesting briefing."

******************

A few minutes later, the individuals who had come through the Stargate were in the briefing room with Hammond, Jack, Daniel, Catherine, Sam and the base's second-in-command, Colonel Reynolds. Daniel was sitting on his brother's lap but staring at his namesake, trying to work everything out and ignoring the discussion about how he had translated the Stargate's symbols until the old Jack spoke.

"_Daniel_ figured out the symbols?" General O'Neill said incredulously, looking at the little boy. "I mean, I know _our_ Daniel did that but he was thirty, not… four."

"Oma helped me," Daniel stated. "I told her I wanted to draw the stars for my room and she said which ones were the best, and then Jack came in and said I'd done something very 'portant and he brung me here where I found an upside-down pyramid on the ring and a mean man said I couldn't read hie-ro-glyphs but I can 'cos Mommy teached me."

Jack saw the looks the alternate team exchanged at Oma's name; they knew something about her and he wasn't going to like it. Before he could ask though, Jackson said, "You did do something very important, Daniel. You helped these people unlock the Stargate so they can explore the stars."

"Where the angels are?" Daniel inquired innocently of his Jack.

"Yeah," Jack replied, aware of everyone's eyes on him.

Satisfied, Daniel leaned back against his brother and let the conversation flow around him again. When he heard about alternate universes, he believed it completely; it explained everything, especially how there could be two of him and two of Jack. But there was something he had to know from the big Daniel. "Did your mommy and daddy die too?"

Everyone at the table stopped speaking as the older Daniel hesitated. After a few seconds, he replied, "Yes, they did." He glanced briefly at the boy's guardian and then asked, "I take it that also happened here?"

Little Daniel nodded solemnly. "Now Jack's looking after me 'cos he's my brother. Did he look after you too?"

Jackson shook his head, his expression sad. "No, he didn't because we didn't know each other back then. I wish we had though because it seems like your brother loves you very much." What he would have given for someone like that thirty years ago. His foster years hadn't been too bad but they could have been better.

"And we're not brothers," General O'Neill added, wondering how that twist of fate happened in this reality. "But we're best friends, which is pretty good too."

After silently absorbing that for a few seconds, young Daniel had another question. "So how come you're all older?"

General O'Neill leaned back in his chair and looked further down the table at his 2IC. "Colonel?"

"Maybe it's because the Ancients from our universe came through to here," Sam Carter theorised. "That might have been enough to send the timeline down a slightly different path."

"That would explain the age differences," Sam agreed, her intelligent mind processing all the information. "And why Captain O'Neill and Daniel are half-brothers in this universe. Somewhere in the past, their bloodlines merged rather than remained apart."

The discussion continued on but the boy in their midst had stopped paying attention; he knew all that he needed to know. Daniel hopped down from Jack's lap and went around the table to investigate the big silent black man with the strange gold tattoo. When he got to Teal'c - he remembered the name from the introductions earlier - he said, "Hello."

Teal'c looked down at the pint-sized version of the adult he knew. "Hello, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel climbed onto Teal'c's lap, confident that he wouldn't be refused. "Why do you use both my names?" he inquired curiously.

"It is a custom on my world," Teal'c replied; the only sign of amusement visible was the slight twitch of his lips.

"What's that?" Daniel asked, pointing to the tattoo.

"A symbol of my slavery," was Teal'c's response.

Daniel examined the tattoo, his fingers exploring. "It's stuck on good."

"It is indeed," Teal'c stated solemnly, deciding not to go into details.

Jack looked over at his brother, having kept an eye on him. "Daniel, don't annoy Teal'c." He knew how inquisitive Daniel could be.

Teal'c tilted his head. "He is not annoying me, Captain O'Neill. He is merely learning." Much like the older version, who was always asking questions.

"What does the symbol mean?" Daniel queried, taking that as permission to ask more questions.

"It is the symbol of Apophis, a false god," Teal'c informed him.

Daniel brightened. "I know about Apophis!" He proceeded to tell Teal'c all about the stories he had learnt from his parents, unaware of others at the table watching the two of them interact.

General O'Neill simply groaned. "I knew you had to be this talkative as a kid," he said, speaking to Jackson.

But that Daniel wasn't really listening as he stared as his younger self with a contemplative look. How nice it must be for this Daniel to grow up knowing he had someone who loved him. If only he'd had the same experience. But, in a way, that life had helped shape him into the man he was today. This Daniel would likely turn out much different.

"Danny." The general nudged his friend.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Jackson apologised to everyone, embarrassed to have been caught staring instead of paying attention.

General Hammond just smiled in sympathy; goodness only knew what Doctor Jackson had been through in his life but it had obviously been quite different to what little Daniel's would now be.

Instead of continuing the discussion, Hammond decided to split the visitors up so that the most could be gained from their visit. The two Jack's were to remain in the briefing room, as were Teal'c, Colonel Reynolds and Hammond to discuss the Goa'uld threat, allies, tactics, and similar things. The Carters would go off to discuss the Stargate while Jackson and Catherine would meet with the other linguists and archaeologists to talk about cultures and the coverstone. As for little Daniel…

"I'm going with me!" he called out as the adults stood up. He slid off Teal'c's lap and ran over to his older self. Daniel wanted to hear all about the different cultures and languages that people in the stars used; maybe they would talk about angels.

Jack was surprised and a little hurt. He was used to Daniel sticking with him all the time, and to have the kid chose to go with someone else… well, it hurt. "Are you sure?" he asked, hoping that Daniel would stay with him.

On some level sensing that Jack was sad, but not understanding why, little Daniel went around to hug his big brother. "I love you."

Jack felt the hurt ease. "I love you too, kiddo." What did he do to deserve such a wonderful brother? "Now go have fun talking about myths and stuff," he ordered gruffly.

"Yes, Jack," Daniel said happily. He went over and grabbed big Daniel's hand. "Come on!"

When everyone who was going to had left, Jack turned to his older namesake; he had a few questions that he hadn't been able to ask earlier. "So, who is this Oma person?" When O'Neill remained silent, Jack persisted, "I saw your look - you know who she is. Obviously, Daniel hasn't just made her up so… who is she? Is she dangerous?"

O'Neill winced. "It depends on your point of view."

"In your point of view?" Jack pressed for a better answer.

"She's… helped us out a couple of times," O'Neill replied, trying to think of how to explain the whole Ascended thing. "Daniel knows more about her than I do so he should be the one to explain."

"I'm asking you." Jack didn't know why O'Neill wasn't answering his questions and it worried him.

Teal'c decided to save O'Neill from explaining by speaking up. "Oma Desala is an Ascended being known as an Ancient. When Daniel Jackson was dying two years ago, she offered him ascension. He remained amongst the Ancients for a year before returning to mortal form."

Jack stared at the big Jaffa. "He died?"

"He ascended," O'Neill corrected. "Apparently there's a difference." His tone implied that he wasn't sure there was one.

Jack wasn't sure what to make of all of this. First of all, he had never believed in aliens, although he enjoyed science-fiction, and he had certainly never thought that another him might exist somewhere. Now he was being asked to believe that not only did another him exist, but there were multiple realities out there, as well as aliens and now, apparently, angels. "Is she a danger to my Daniel?"

"Probably not. So far, she's only been a danger to the Goa'uld," O'Neill replied, thinking back to the team's encounters with the Ancient being. "She _really_ doesn't like them."

"So what does she want with Daniel?" Jack wanted to know. It didn't make any sense to him why such a supposedly powerful being - if he was correctly reading between the lines - would want a four-year-old boy.

"Because he has a great destiny in front of him."

The words, spoken by a woman, surprised them all and as one, everyone looked to the end of the long briefing room table. There, dressed in white and glowing, was Oma Desala.

Jack found that he couldn't speak for a few moments. He was stunned by the woman's sudden appearance, as well as the confirmation that Oma did, in fact, exist.

O'Neill, on the other hand, was able to state sarcastically, "Oh, what a surprise. And how do you know he has a great destiny? You didn't even meet in our universe until we went to Kheb."

"Communication did not cease with your reality simply because some left it," Oma replied, briefly glancing at O'Neill before focusing on Jack. "I have known for some time that Daniel Jackson would be instrumental to the Stargate program, although I had not expected him to be so young."

It was then that Jack had a horrible thought. "Did you kill Daniel's parents?"

"No, I did not," Oma stated truthfully. "However, I could not interfere and prevent them from dying either. Because of this, I offered them ascension so that they could continue to watch over you and Daniel."

So technically, he hadn't been lying to Daniel when he said that Claire and Melburn were angels; that was enough to make his head spin. "And then you just 'happened' to assist Daniel in drawing the constellations earlier? Why couldn't you wait until he was older?"

Oma smiled gently; she could use cryptic messages to explain it but somehow, she knew they wouldn't be welcomed or understood. "You were already trying to open the Stargate. If Daniel wasn't involved when it was opened, then events would not proceed well. He will be the reason you gain many allies in the universe."

"He's four years old!" Jack exclaimed. "He's not going to be going through the… the Stargate for years!"

"But the allies will come to you," Oma stated. "The ones who will help and protect you, will see humanity's potential in him and in you. Both of you have special abilities because of your blood."

Jack looked at her, puzzled, then shifted his gaze to O'Neill. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

"The Ancient gene. It means that you can operate Ancient technology," O'Neill said casually. "Which can be good sometimes but you really don't want to use their head-suckers. Not good." He gave a shudder.

"I take it that you - and consequently, I - have this gene?" Jack asked, trying to comprehend everything he was being told.

"And also Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned, having listened to Oma's words.

"But… but that doesn't make sense," Jack complained. "Obviously I have a different mother to you," he said, looking at O'Neill, "so the gene would have to have come from Dad's side of the family, which means that Daniel wouldn't have it. Your Daniel doesn't, does he?"

There was a short silence before O'Neill answered that. "We don't know. It's only recently that we've begun testing people for the gene, and I made the decision not to test Daniel." When the archaeologist had found out about that, he had been angry but once Jack had explained the reason to him, Daniel had accepted it.

"Why not?"

"Because of his year being glowy. There's no way to know if he had the gene before he ascended, and we don't want him tested now because that'll just give the NID another reason to try and grab him." It had been a tense year, anticipating that the NID would try to take Daniel for experiments, but fortunately nothing had happened.

Colonel Reynolds, who until now had been very quiet, spoke up. "So it's possible that both the O'Neill and Jackson lines passed this gene down through the generations?"

Everyone looked to Oma, who nodded slightly.

"Well then," Jack said, "I suppose someone had better tell me just exactly what this gene does."

******************

"Do you have a Grandpa Nick?" Daniel asked his older self as they walked through the corridors, Catherine behind them.

"I do," Jackson replied, "but I don't see him any more. He lives on another planet now." He still felt that his grandfather was more interested in discoveries and not him. "What about here?"

"Grandpa Nick used to go on lots of digs but now he's stopped and he buyed a little house here and now I get to see him lots," Daniel enthused. "And I can speak three-and-a-half languages, and Mommy and Daddy sent me a tool kit for Christmas so I can be a proper archaeol'gist like them."

"That sounds…. good," Jackson said, not quite knowing how to respond to the little boy. This was him thirty-four years ago; it was so strange to see what he had been like.

"When you explore the stars, have you seen your Mommy and Daddy?" Daniel questioned innocently.

"No, I haven't." Jackson wondered whether it had been this world's Jack who had told Daniel about angels in the stars.

Daniel thought about that for a moment and then nodded to himself. "That's prob'ly because angels only show themselves to people when they're 'lowed to or if they're ready to. That's why Oma said I could see her 'cos I was ready to see her but Jack wasn't, and she said that Mommy and Daddy weren't 'lowed to see me." He didn't remember exactly what Oma had said but he figured that was pretty close.

Jackson wondered whether Oma had been telling the truth about little Daniel's parents, and then he wondered why the Ancient being had bothered visiting at all. Unaware of the conversation happening in the briefing room, thought about the possible reasons and came to the conclusion that, without being able to talk to Oma to find out, that she was subtly interfering in this reality for a purpose that Jackson was sure he didn't want to know.

"Are the pyramids older than everyone says?" Daniel changed the subject; he had plenty of questions he wanted to ask. "'Cos Daddy says they are."

A question he could answer. "Yes, they are," Jackson stated with a remembering smile; he hoped his parents in this reality hadn't put forward that theory publicly or if they had, that they hadn't been laughed out of academia. "A race called the Goa'uld build them. But you can't tell anyone that." He stopped and knelt down in front of little Daniel. "Do you know what top secret means?"

Daniel started to nod his head and then changed it into a shake.

"You know that a secret means that you're not supposed to tell anyone else?" Jackson received a nod in response. "Well, top secret means that only a few people are allowed to know something very special and that they can't tell anyone else. So knowing about the Stargate and anything that you hear here today, is top secret. You won't be allowed to tell anyone about it, not even your best friends or Grandpa Nick or--"

"Or Grandma Iris and Grandpa Tom?" Daniel queried.

"Exactly." Jackson put aside the question of who they were for now, although he had an inkling they might be related to Jack. "Most people don't want to know that aliens exist or that they used to live on Earth in Egypt because it scares them. So do you think you'll be able to keep everything a secret?"

Daniel frowned, thinking it over. He wanted to tell the mean people who had said his daddy was wrong that they were wrong but by the sounds of it, he wouldn't be allowed to. Nor could he tell his grandparents, and he really wanted to do that too. "But what if the words want to come out by themselves and I don't mean to say them but they come out anyway?"

"I don't know. I think that's something your brother will have to decide," Jackson replied. "But do you think that you'll be able to keep this all top secret?"

"Maybe we shouldn't include Daniel in these talks," Catherine stated, glancing down at the smart little boy.

Daniel's eyes filled with tears at the thought of being excluded. "But I'm good at keeping secrets and I helped you with the Stargate thing and the consellations! I want to go with you!"

"Okay." Jackson awkwardly picked Daniel up, settling him on one hip. "It's okay, you can come with us. I believe that you'll be able to keep this a secret. And you'll always be able to write about it in your journal."

That was good. "Can I tell my toys?" Daniel wanted to know as he rested his head on his big self's shoulder. "They won't tell anyone either."

"I think they can be trusted too," Jackson replied, shooting a glance at Catherine, who seemed bewildered by Daniel's reaction. "So, you want to find out about the stars?"

Daniel nodded eagerly, his tears forgotten. This was going to be so exciting!!

******************

Two hours later, Daniel was hungry so Jackson took him to the commissary for some food. Not long after they sat at one of the tables with their trays, Jack entered with O'Neill not far behind. Jackson figured that someone had made a call to the briefing room and let them know what was happening.

"Jack!" Daniel called out, pleased to see his brother. He stood on his chair and when his brother got close enough, launched himself into Jack's arms. "Have you been learning lots?"

"Yes, I have," Jack replied. He had learnt a lot more than he had ever wanted to, and partway through, he had realised that he owed Nick an apology. He had thought his grandfather was nuts for believing that story about the crystal skull but now, after talking to O'Neill, he had learnt that it was the truth. And as for the Ancient gene stuff - well, he wasn't sure how he was going to cope with that yet. "What have you been learning about?"

Daniel launched into a monologue as Jack sat down, the little boy remaining on his lap. He ate when Jack reminded him to, so there were occasional silences but they didn't last for long.

O'Neill brought a tray of food over for Jack to eat, guessing that they would probably have similar preferences. The three adults then ate in silence, listening to the little boy who was supposed to the Earth's great hope for the future. Like his counterpart, O'Neill wasn't sure how much help little Daniel would be for the next fourteen years but presumably Oma knew something he didn't.

After lunch, they all headed back to the briefing room, where everyone else involved had assembled. When everyone was seated, Daniel again on Jack's lap, Hammond cleared his throat and started to speak. Jack tuned out a lot of it until he heard his name mentioned.

"To that end," Hammond was saying, "taking into account what we've heard today, I have decided that SG-1 will be made up of Colonel Reynolds, Captain O'Neill and Lieutenant Carter. Your first mission will be to go to Chulak and see whether the Teal'c of this world can be encouraged to join us."

A mission? To another planet? In spite of his trepidation, Jack was thrilled that he would get to be on the flag team and possibly be the first through the Stargate. Except… He looked down at Daniel. Going through the Stargate was going to be dangerous. Just because the other SG-1 team had survived for seven years, there was no guarantee that his team would be as fortunate. "Sir…"

"Oma Desala has indicated that she will do what she can to ensure your safety, Captain," Hammond stated. "But that does not mean that you can behave in a reckless manner."

"No, sir." By the sounds of it, Oma would prevent him from dying but probably not from injuries that weren't life-threatening. That meant that he would have to always act in a way that would get him safely home to Daniel.

******************

The meetings for the rest of the day, everyone making the most of having the alternate SG-1 team around to find out questions they never thought they would get the answers to. Jack's priority, however, was his brother. He let Daniel say goodbye to his adult counterpart and then took the little boy home.

Daniel was full of excitement but after dinner, his enthusiasm waned; it had been a long day. He had his bath, as usual, and then went straight to bed. After Jack finished reading him a story, Daniel asked sleepily, "If you see Mommy and Daddy in the stars, can you tell them I miss them and I love them?"

"That I can do," Jack replied, leaning down and kissing Daniel's forehead. His little genius, the child who could do what none of the adults could - admittedly, with some help. But it had been all Daniel when it came to the translation, and Jack thought to himself that he knew why Oma called Daniel special.

"I wish I could go too," Daniel continued.

"One day," Jack promised. From the stories he had heard, he knew that the Daniel in the other reality was an important part of the team and much as Jack might want to protect his brother, he knew that he couldn't prevent him from exploring what was out there. Besides, by the time Daniel was old enough, the Goa'uld might be gone.

Daniel smiled and then snuggled down in his bed. As he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts were of exploring the stars with his brother and meeting with all the angels and aliens out there. He was going to have so much fun…

THE END


End file.
